Due  West 


(D.m.lsaUou 


^^^. 


W^  tlje  fsnmt  Sluttjor* 


A  TREASURY  OF  THOUGHT.  An  Encyclopaedia  of  Quotations  from 
Ancient  and  Modern  Authors.  Compiled  by  Maturin  M.  Ballou.  8vo, 
full  gilt,  J4.00;  half  calf  or  half  morocco,  $6.50;  morocco,  full  gilt,  $7.50. 

The  most  complete  and  exhaustive  volume  of  the  kind  with  which, 
we  are  acquainted.  The  literature  of  all  times  has  contributed  to  it, 
and  the  range  of  reading  necessary  to  its  compilation  is  the  widest.  — 
Hartford  Courant. 

NOTABLE  THOUGHTS  ABOUT  WOMEN.  A  Literary  Mosaic.  By 
Maturin  M.  Ballou.     Crown  8vo,  $1.50. 

We  have  more  than  four  hundred  pages  crammed  full  of  delicious 
bits  from  nearly  every  writer  of  any  celebrity,  English,  American, 
French,  or  German,  early  and  modern,  and  it  is  a  fascinating  medley. 
The  selections  are  made  with  good  taste  and  judgment,  and  when  one 
takes  up  the  book  it  is  difficult  to  lay  it  down,  for  one  is  led  on  from 
one  brilliant  or  striking  thought  to  another,  in  a  way  that  is  quite  ab- 
sorbing. —  Portla7td  Tra7iscript. 

PEARLS  OF  THOUGHT.  Notable  Sentences  from  the  wisest  Authors. 
Compiled  by  Maturin  M.  Ballou.  i6mo,  full  gilt,  $1.25  ;  half  morocco, 
^2.50. 

The  first  noticeable  thing  about  V  Pearls  of  Thought  "  is  that  the 
"pearls  "  are  offered  in  a  jewel-box  of  printing  and  binding.  The  se- 
lections have  the  merit  of  being  short  and  sparkling.  The  arrangement 
is  convenient ;  the  selections  are  grouped  topically,  and  the  topics  are 
arranged  alphabetically.  Authors,  ancient  and  modern,  and  of  all  na- 
tions, are  represented.  —  New  York  Tribune. 

DUE  WEST  ;  or,  Round  the  World  in  Ten  Months.    Crown  8vo,  $1.50. 

It  is  a  book  of  books  on  foreign  travel,  and  deserves  to  be  in  the 
hands  of  all  subsequent  writers  as  combinmg  just  the  qualities  to  give 
the  greater  information  and  zest.  —  Boston  Commonwealth. 

DUE  SOUTH;  or,  Cuba  Past  and  Present.    Crown  Svo,  $1.50. 

This  attractive  volume  is  full  of  fresh  information  concerning  the 
Bahama  Islands,  the  Caribbean  Sea,  and  the  history  of  Cuba  from  its 
discovery  to  the  present  time.  It  was  written  during  the  winter  of  1885 
in  the  regions  described. 

HOUGHTON,  MIFFLIN  &  CO.,  Publishers, 
Boston  and  New  York. 


DUE  WEST 


OR 


ROUND  THE  WORLD  IN  TEN  MONTHS 


BY 


v>^^ 


MATURIN  M.  BALLOU    1^-^^ 
//  ^ 


/  89  6 


je  vis  Wtranger,  plus  j'aimai  ma  patrie. 

Dk  Beuov 


SIXTH   EDITION 


^ 


BOSTON 

HOUGHTON,  MIFFLIN  AND  COMPANY 

New  York:   11   East  Seventeenth  Street 

i888 


:)</c<r^nrt 


Copyright,  1884, 
By  MATURIN  M.  BALLOIJ. 

AU  rights  reserved. 


RIVEESIDE,  CAMBRIDGE: 
ILECTEOTTPED    AND  PRINTED  BY 
H.  0.  HOUGHTON  AND  COUP  ANT. 


"3  1  -JZ  G8" 

Bancroft  Library 


/  rather  would  entreat  thy  company 
To  see  the  wonders  of  the  world  abroad, 
Than,  living  dully  sluggardized  at  home, 
Wear  out  thy  youth  with  shapeless  idleness.  — 
Two  Gentlemen  of  Verona. 


PREFACE. 


To  circumnavigate  the  globe  in  our  day  is  only 
a  question  of  time  and  money,  the  facilities  being 
ample,  and  the  inducements  abundant.  Intelligently 
and  successfully  to  consummate  such  a  purpose  is  an 
education  in  itself.  The  tourist  will  find  all  previous 
study  enhanced  in  value  by  ocular  demonstration, 
which  imparts  life  and  warmth  to  the  cold  facts  of 
the  chroniclers,  besides  which  a  vast  store-house  of 
positive  information  is  created  which  time  cannot 
exhaust.  Perhaps  the  majority  of  travelers  see  only 
that  which  comes  clearly  before  them  ;  but  this  they 
do  most  •  faithfully,  being  possessed  of  a  stronger 
sense  of  duty  than  of  imagination.  The  clear,  direct 
vision  of  such  people  has  its  merit.  There  are  others 
who  both  see  and  feel,  to  whom  the  simplest  object 
in  its  suggestiveness  may  be  full  of  beauty.  It  is 
the  latter  who  pluck  delightful  mysteries  out  of 
travel ;  and  who,  after  viewing  nature,  it  may  be  in 
her  calmest  moods,  bring  away  with  them  upon  the 
tablets  of  memory  a  Claude  Lorraine.  The  eyes  will 
operate  automatically,  but  it  is  of  little  avail  unless 
one  exercises  the  observing  power ;  then  they  become 
luminous.     You  will  find  poetry  nowhere  unless  you 


Viu  PREFACE. 

bring  some  with  you,  says  Joubert.  If  the  author 
succeeds  in  imparting  to  the  reader  but  a  share  of 
the  great  and  varied  pleasure  he  realized  in  the 
ten  months  of  travel  herein  recorded,  his  object  in 
transcribing  these  experiences  will  have  been  fully 
consummated.  M.  M.  B. 


COl^TENTS. 


CHAPTER  I. 

PAGE 

Synopsis  of  the  Journey.  —  Crossing  the  Continent.  —  A  Great 
Midland  City.  —  Utah  and  the  Mormons.  —  The  Sierra  Ne- 
vada. —  San  Francisco.  —  A  Herd  of  Sea-Lions.  —  Possibili-  . 
ties  of  California.  —  The  Love  of  Flowers.  —  Public  School 
System. — Excursion  to  the  Yosemite.  —  An  Indian  Strong- 
hold. —  Description  of  the  Valley.  —  Passage  of  the  Moun- 
tains.—  Caught  in  a  Snow-Storm.  —  A  Forest  of  Feathers. — 
The  Mammoth  Trees  of  California.  —  Passing  the  Golden  Gate. 

—  Voyage  across  the  Pacific.  —  A  Lost  Day     ....      1 

CHAPTER  IL 

Landing  in  Japan.  —  Characteristic  Street  Scenes.  —  Native  Bar 
zars.  —  "Women  of  Yokohama.  —  Excursion  into  the  Country. 

—  Visit  to  Kamakura.  —  Peculiar  Scenes  on  the  Road.  —  A 
Wonderful  Bronze  Statue.  —  Popular  Religions  of  the  Coun- 
try. —  The  Hakone  Pass. —A  Youthful  Mother.  —  Native 
Jugglers.  —  Temple  of  Shiba.  —  Review  of  the  Soldiery. — 
Ludicrous  Sights.  —  A  Native  Fair  at  Tokio.  —  A  Poor  Japa- 
nese Woman's  Prayer 30 

CHAPTER  in. 

Foreign  Influence  in  Japan.  —  Progress  of  the  People.  —  Travel- 
ing Inland.  —  Fertility  of  the  Soil.  —  Grand  Temples  and 
Shrines  at  Nikko.  —  The  Lef t-Handed  Artist.  —  Japanese  Art. 

—  City  of  Kobe'.  —  Kioto  and  its  Temples.  —  Idol  Worship. 

—  Native  Amusements.  —  Morals  in  Japan.  —  Lake  Biwa.  — 
Osaka  on  a  Gala  Day.  —  The  Inland  Sea.  —  Island  of  Pappen- 
burg.  —  The  Tarpeian  Rock  of  Japan.  —  Nagasaki.  —  Girls 
Coaling  a  Ship.  —  National  Products 55 


CONTENTS, 


CHAPTER  IV. 

PA6X 

Sail  for  Hong  Kong.  —  Ocean  Storms.  —  Sunset  at  Sea.  —  A 
"Water-Spout.  —  Arrival  in  China.  —  Typhon  Bay.  —  Manners 
and  Customs.  —  In  and  about  Hong  Kong. — Public  Build- 
ings. —  Voyage  up  the  Pearl  River.  —  City  of  Canton.  — 
Strangest  of  Strange  Cities.  —  Opium  Dens.  —  Temple  of 
Honan.  —  The  Worship  of  S^vine.  —  Praying  with  a  Fan.  — 
Local  Peculiarities.  —  Half  Round  the  World.  —  Singapore.  — 
A  Tiger  Hunt. — Burial  at  Sea.  —  Penang.  —  The  Wonderful 
Palm 81 


CHAPTER  V. 

Sailing  Due  West.  —  The  Indian  Ocean.  —  Strange  Sights  at 
Sea.  —  Island  of  Ceylon.  —  Singhalese  Canoes.  —  Colombo.  — 
A  Land  of  Slaves.  —  Native  Town.  —  Singhalese  Women.  — 
Fantastic  Nurses.  —  Local  Pictures.  —  Cinnamon  Gardens. — 
Wild  Elephants.  —  Lavishness  of  Tropical  Nature.  —  Curious 
Birds  and  their  Nests.  —  Ancient  Kandy.  —  Temple  of  Mali- 
gawan.  —  Religious  Ceremonies.  —  Life  of  the  Natives.  —  In- 
land Scenery.  —  Fruits.  —  Precious  Stones.  —  Coffee  Planta- 
tions.—  Great  Antiquity  of  Ceylon 125 

CHAPTER  VL 

Arrival  in  India.  —  Tuticorin.  —  Madura.  —  Bungalows.  —  Rep- 
tiles and  Insects.  —  Wonderful  Pagoda.  —  Sacred  Elephants. 

—  Trichinopoly  and  its  Temples.  —  Bishop  Heber.  —  Native 
Silversmiths,  —  Tanjore.  — The  Rajah's  Palace.  —  Pagoda  and 
an  Immense  Stone  Idol.  —  Southern  India.  —  City  of  Madras. 

—  Want  of  a  Harbor.  —  In  and  about  the  Capital.  —  Voyage 
through  the  Bay  of  Bengal.  —  The  Hoogly  River.  — Political 
Capital  of  India.  —  A  Crazy  King.  —  The  Himalayas.  —  Sun- 
set and  Sunrise  at  Darjeeling    150 

CHAPTER  VII. 

From  Calcutta  to  Benares. —  Miles  of  Poppy  Fields.  —  Ruined 
Temples.  —  The  Mecca  of  Hindostan.  —  Banks  of  the  Sacred 
Ganges.  —  Idolatry  at  its  Height.  —  Monkey  Temple.  —  The 
Famous  River  Front  of  the  Holy  City.  —  Fanaticism.  —  Cre- 
mating the  Dead.  —  A  Pestilential  City.  —  Visit  to  a  Native 


CONTENTS.  XI 

PAGE 

Palace.  —  From  Benares  to  Cawnpore.  —  A  Beautiful  Statue. 
—  English  Rule  in  India.  —  Delhi.  —  The  Mogul  Dynasty. 

—  Lahore.  —  Umritsar.  —  Agra.  —  The  Taj  Mahal.  —  Royal 
Palace  and  Fort.  —  The  Famous  Pearl  Mosque        .        .        .187 

CHAPTER  VIII. 

From  Agra  to  Jeypore.  —  An  Independent  Province.  —  A  Unique 
Indian  City.  —  Wild  Animals.  —  Elephant  Traveling.  —  Trap- 
ping Tigers.  —  A  Royal  Palace.  —  The  Harem.  —  Native  Rule. 

—  Wild  Monkeys  and  Peacocks.  —  Long  Journey  across  Coun- 
try.—  Bombay.  —  The  Rival  of  Calcutta.  —  The  Parsees. — 
Towers  of  Silence.  —  Feeding  the  Vultures.  —  A  Remarkable 
Institution.  —  Island  of  Elephanta.  —  Street  Jugglers.  —  Cross- 
ing the  Sea  of  Arabia. —  The  Southern  Cross.  — Aden. — 
Passage  up  the  Red  Sea.  —  Landing  at  Suez.  —  Traveling  in 
Egypt 


223 


CHAPTER  IX. 

Cairo  and  the  Arabian  Nights.  —  Street  Scenes  and  Cries. — 
Camels  and  Donkeys.  —  Turkish  Bazars  in  Old  Cairo.  — 
Water-Carriers.  —  The  Pyramids  of  Gizeh.  —  The  Sphinx.  — 
Interesting  Visit  to  a  Native  House.  —  Mosque  of  Mehemet 
Ali.  —  The  Rotten  Row  of  Cairo.  —  The  Khedive's  Palace.  — 
Egyptian  Museum.  —  Mosque  of  Amer.  —  Whirling  and 
Howling  Dervishes.  —  Suez  Canal.  —  Ismailia  and  Port  Said. 

—  Island  of  Malta.  —  City  of  Valetta.  —  Palace  of  the  Knights. 

—  Bird's-eye  View 259 

CHAPTER  X. 

Voyage  through  the  Mediterranean.  —  Gibraltar  on  Sunday.  — 
Beautiful  Alameda.  —  Visit  to  the  Famous  Fortress.  —  Wild 
Monkeys.  —  Cannon  and  Flowers.  —  Tangier.  —  Morocco.  — 
Straits  of  Gibraltar.- A  Moorish  City  of  To-day.  —  Local 
Scenes.  —  A  Private  Museum.  —  The  Governor's  Palace.  — 
Rusty  Keys.  — The  Typical  Moor.  — The  Slave  Market.— 
Oriental  Tableaux.  —  Visit  to  Washington  Mount.  —  A  Cup 
of  Moorish  Coffee.  —  From  Gibraltar  to  Malaga.  —  Spain.  — 
The  City  of  Raisins  and  Sweet  Wine 288 


xu  CONTENTS, 


CHAPTEE  XI. 

PAOS 

From  Malaga  to  Granada, — Military  Escort.  —  A  Beautiful 
Valley.  —  A  Dream  Realized  in  the  Alhambra.  —  The  Moor 
in  his  Glory.  —  Tangible  Poetry.  —  A  Brief  Legend.  —  The 
Generallfe.  —  The  Moor's  Seat.  —  The  Home  of  the  Gypsies. 

—  A  Gold  Bearing  River.  —  A  Beautiful  Residence.  —  Early 
Home  of  the  Ex-Empress  Eugenie.  —  City  of  Granada. — 
Spanish  Beggars.  —  The  Remarkable  Tomb  of  Ferdinand  and 
Isabella.  —  French  Vandals.  —  The  Cathedral.  —  Precious 
Relic.  —  The  Cartuja. — Love  of  Music 311 

CHAPTER  Xn. 

Granada  to  Cordova. — An  Antique  City. —  The  Guadalquivir. 

—  Old  Roman  Bridge.  —  The  Grand  Mosque-Cathedral  of 
Cordova.  —  Court  of  Orange-Trees.  —  Army  of  Beggars.  — 
From  Cordova  to  Madrid.  —  Local  Characteristics  of  the  Capi- 
tal. —  The  Gate  of  the  Sun.  —  The  King  and  Queen  in  Public. 

—  The  Royal  Palace.  —  Spanish  Ladies  and  Gentlemen.  — 
The  Fan.  —  The  Picture-Gallery  of  Madrid.  —  National  Sport 
of  the  Bull-Fight.  —  Cowardice  !  —  Interesting  Visit  to  the 
City  of  Toledo.  —  The  Escurial .331 

CHAPTER  XIIL 

From  Madrid  to  Burgos. — Through  a  Barren  Country.  —  The 
Cathedral  of  Burgos.  —  Monastery  of  Miraflores.  —  Local  Pic- 
tures. —  A  Spanish  Inn.  —  Convent  of  Las  Huelgas.  —  From 
Burgos  to  San  Sebastian.  —  Northern  Spain.  —  A  Spanish 
Watering  Place.  — Bayonne.  —  Lower  Pyrenees.  —  Biarritz.  — 
A  Basque  Postilion.  —  A  Pleasant  Drive.  —  On  Leaving  Spain. 

—  Sunday  and  Balloons  at  Bordeaux.  —  On  to  Paris.  —  Ant- 
werp and  its  Art  Treasures.  —  Embarking  for  America.  —  End 

of  the  Long  Journey 365 


DUE   WEST, 


CHAPTER  I. 

Synopsis  of  the  Journey.  —  Crossing  the  Continent.  — A  Great  Mid- 
land City.  — Utah  and  the  Mormons.  —  The  Sierra  Nevada.  —  San 
Francisco.  —  A  Herd  of  Sea-Lions,  —  Possibilities  of  California.  — 
The  Love  of  Flowers.  —  Public  School  System.  —  Excursion  to  the 
Yosemite.  —  An  Indian  Stronghold.  —  Description  of  the  Valley.  — 
Passage  of  the  Mountains.  —Caught  in  a  Snow-Storm.  —  A  Forest 
of  Feathers.  The  Mammoth  Trees  of  California. —Passing  the 
Golden  Gate.  —  Voyage  across  the  Pacific.  —  A  Lost  Day. 

On  the  morning  of  September  16,  1882,  four  in- 
dividuals, two  of  whom  were  ladies  and  two  gentle- 
men, comparative  strangers  to  each  other,  met  at  the 
Fitchburg  depot  in  Boston,  drawn  together  by  the 
common  purpose  of  a  trip  round  the  world.  Adding 
the  conductor,  Mr.  Gno.  Dattari,  an  intelligent  and 
experienced  courier,  the  little  party  numbered  five 
persons.  The  latter  individual  is  attached  to  the 
traveling  agency  of  Thomas  Cook  &  Son,  London, 
the  house  undertaking,  for  the  sum  of  two  thousand 
dollars  each,  to  pay  all  transportation  and  board  bills 
in  accordance  with  a  very  comprehensive  itinerary. 
This  embraced  the  passage  across  the  continent  of 
America  and  the  Pacific  Ocean  to  Japan,  with  a 
month  of  residence  and  travel  in  that  country ;  thence 
to  China  and  up  the  Pearl  River  to  Canton  ;  a  week 
in  Hong  Kong;   a  thousand-mile  voyage  down  the 


2  DUE  WEST. 

China  Sea  to  the  chief  ports  of  the  Malacca  Straits ; 
across  the  Indian  Ocean  to  the  Island  of  Ceylon, 
with  a  week  for  excursions  therein  ;  thence  to  India, 
with  a  liberal  exploration  of  its  principal  cities,  in- 
cluding a  visit  to  the  Himalayas  in  the  extreme 
north  ;  through  the  Sea  of  Arabia,  the  Straits  of 
Babelmandeb,  and  the  Red  Sea  to  Egypt,  Cairo,  and 
Alexandria;  through  the  Suez  Canal  and  the  Med- 
iterranean to  Italy,  Malta,  Gibraltar,  France,  and 
England.  A  reasonable  length  of  time  was  allowed 
for  each  section  of  the  route,  including  a  voyage 
across  the  Atlantic  to  the  starting-point. 

Any  divergence  from  the  prescribed  route  was  to 
be  at  an  additional  charge,  according  to  expenses  in- 
curred. The  money  was  paid  at  the  outset,  and  the 
agreement  on  both  sides  fulfilled  to  the  entire  satis- 
faction of  all  concerned.  Thus  much  it  has  seemed 
well  to  premise  for  the  information  of  the  reader 
who  proposes  to  follow  our  course  due  west,  as  pre- 
sented in  these  pen-and-ink  sketches  of  many  lands. 
It  should  also  be  mentioned  that  the  season  of  the 
year  had  been  judiciously  chosen,  so  as  to  bring  us 
into  each  country  at  the  most  favorable  period  for 
its  healthful  and  agreeable  enjoyment,  a  calculation 
which  is  imperative  for  any  one  contemplating  a 
journey  of  this  character.  Otherwise,  the  intense 
heat  of  the  tropics,  as  well  as  the  Arctic  chills  of  the 
north,  may  render  such  a  trip  a  hardship  rather  than 
a  season  of  pleasure. 

The  first  day's  experience  served  to  acquaint  the 
little  party  with  each  other,  and  no  possible  associa- 
tion can  effect  this  so  rapidly  as  traveling  together, 
where  individuals  necessarily  become  inseparable, 
and  where  fixed  traits  of  character  must  inevitably 


RURAL  MASSACHUSETTS.  3 

exhibit  themselves.    Mr.  M and  his  daughter,  as 

also  the  author  of  these  notes,  were  Bostonians ;  the 
fourth  person  being  a  Miss  D ,  of  Yorkshire,  Eng- 
land, who  came  hither  to  make  the  long  circuit  of 
the  globe.  Even  American  parlor-cars,  which  em- 
brace as  much  of  domestic  comfort  as  is  compatible 
with  their  legitimate  purpose,  could  not  prevent  our 
being  somewhat  fatigued  by  an  unbroken  journey  of 
over  five  hundred  miles,  when  we  reached  Niagara 
Falls  at  two  o'clock  in  the  morning.  And  yet  the 
day  seemed  short  by  reason  of  the  varied  and  beauti- 
ful scenery  of  the  Hoosac  Tunnel  route,  particularly 
in  the  region  of  the  Deerfield  Valley,  and  also  west 
of  the  Massachusetts  state  line.  The  abundant  foli- 
age was  in  its  autumnal  prime,  not  yet  having  been 
touclied  by  the  wand  of  the  Frost  King,  while  the 
teeming  fields  gave  evidence  both  of  fertility  of  soil 
and  skilled  cultivation.  The  neat  farm-houses  were 
ornamented  by  creeping  vines,  and  tiny  flower-gar- 
dens in  their  fronts.  Tall  conical  haystacks  flanked 
the  spacious,  well-filled  barns  ;  big  yellow  pumpkins 
dotted  the  half  -  cleared  cornfields ;  and  handsome 
groups  of  cattle  quietly  ruminated  in  the  pastures. 
A  picturesque  line  of  beehives,  half  a  dozen  happy 
children  at  play  before  the  house  door,  and  the 
sturdy  master  of  the  thrifty  scene,  leaning  over  the 
fence  to  exchange  pleasant  words  with  a  passing 
neighbor  on  horseback,  were  frequent  rural  pictures, 
which  were  afterwards  contrasted  with  those  of  other 
countries. 

A  quiet  Sabbath  was  passed  at  the  Clifton  House, 
on  the  Canada  side,  where  an  excellent  opportunity 
is  afforded  for  viewing  the  falls  in  their  various  as- 
pects.    It  was  a  still,  clear  day,  bright  and  sunny. 


4  DUE  WEST. 

A  column  of  vapor  rose  many  hundred  feet  above  the 
falls,  white  as  snow  where  it  was  absorbed  into  the 
skies,  and  iridescent  at  the  base,  which  was  wreathed 
in  ceaseless  rainbows.  A  practical  eye  could  not  fail 
to  observe  that  a  portion  of  the  enormous  force  here 
running  to  waste  has  been  utilized  by  means  of  a 
canal,  dug  from  a  point  above  the  falls  to  a  plateau 
two  miles  below  them,  whereby  some  large  grist-mills 
and  paper-manufacturing  establishments  are  operated 
with  never-failing  power.  The  usual  round  of  sight- 
seeing was  performed  on  the  following  day.  When 
we  remember  that  there  is  conclusive  evidence  of 
these  falls  having  been  at  a  former  period  fully  six 
miles  nearer  to  Lake  Ontario,  and  consequently  that 
there  is  a  daily  though  infinitesimal  wear  going  on, 
it  leads  one  to  speculate  as  to  what  will  be  the  prob- 
able result  when  the  great  falls  shall  have  receded 
so  far  as  to  open,  at  one  terrific  plunge,  the  eastern 
end  of  Lake  Erie. 

Another  day  and  night  in  the  cars  over  the  Great 
Western  and  Michigan  Railroad  brought  us  to  Chi- 
cago. Fifty  years  ago  only  a  scattered  tribe  of  the 
Pottawatomies  inhabited  this  spot  on  the  shore  of 
Lake  Michigan,  where  is  now  located  the  most  im- 
portant capital  of  the  Northwestern  States.  The  com- 
mercial growth  of  Chicago  is  the  natural  sequence  of 
its  situation  at  the  head  of  the  great  chain  of  lakes, 
which  form  a  medium  of  unequaled  inland  naviga- 
tion, supplemented  by  a  railroad  system  of  nearly  a 
score  of  trunk  lines  which  centre  within  its  limits.  A 
drive  about  the  town  served  to  impress  us  with  a  due 
appreciation  of  its  business  enterprise  and  rapid 
growth  in  all  the  departments  of  education  and  of 
art,  which  characterize  a  prosperous  American  ^o^i?* 


SALT  LAKE   CITY.  5 

munity ;  especially  was  a  spirit  of  intense  activity 
observable,  entering  into  every  element  of  trade  and 
business.  The  private  bouses  of  wealthy  merchants 
adorn  the  environs,  while  Lincoln  and  South  Park, 
lying  on  either  side  of  the  city,  rival  anything  of 
the  kind  in  Europe  or  America.  Chicago  is  the  nat- 
ural centre  of  the  grain  trade  of  our  continent,  and 
we  had  almost  said  of  the  food-supply  of  the  world, 
a  statement  exemplified  in  the  fact  that,  during  the 
last  year,  one  hundred  and  fifty  millions  of  bushels  of 
grain  passed  through  its  elevators. 

The  next  objective  point  was  Salt  Lake  City,  the 
distance  being  over  sixteen  hundred  miles,  to  ac- 
complish which  we  passed  four  days  and  nights  in 
sleeping-cars.  Two  days'  rest  at  this  point  afforded 
an  opportunity  to  look  about  us,  and  to  gather  some 
information  touching  the  singular  people  who  make 
it  their  home.  The  capital  of  Utah,  so  well  chosen 
for  its  special  purpose,  was  an  unbroken  wilderness 
forty  years  ago,  but  can  now  boast  a  population  of 
twenty-five  thousand.  Under  the  hands  of  its  pres- 
ent occupants,  the  whole  surrounding  valley  has 
been  cultivated  to  a  degree  of  fertility  scarcely 
equaled  by  the  same  number  of  square  miles  on  the 
continent.  The  city  proper  is  laid  out  in  broad 
streets  intersecting  each  other  at  right  angles,  and 
which  are  bordered  with  cottonwood  trees,  forming  a 
pleasant  shade ;  while  in  every  gutter  a  stream  of 
water  runs  swiftly  along,  with  a  rippling  sound,  fresh 
from  the  neighboring  mountains.  Great  attention 
has  evidently  been  paid  to  sanitary  matters,  and 
everything  looks  neat  and  clean.  The  visible  marvel 
of  the  city  is  the  great  Mormon  temple,  or  Taber- 
nacle, a  building  capable  of  holding  and  seating  over 


6  DUE   WEST. 

twelve  thousand  people,  the  roof  of  which  is  self- 
supporting,  and  is  believed  to  be  the  largest  one  of 
its  character  extant.  The  acoustic  properties  of  this 
immense  structure  are  also  remarkabl}^  perfect,  which 
was  proven  to  us  by  some  curious  experiments.  As 
to  general  effect,  however,  there  is  no  more  archi- 
tectural character  to  the  Mormon  Tabernacle  than  to 
a  prairie  dog's  hole.  Its  roof  resembles  nothing  so 
much  as  a  huge  metallic  dish  cover,  forming  an  awk- 
ward and  prominent  feature  of  the  city. 

It  is  not  within  our  province  to  discuss  in  detail  the 
peculiar  and  abhorrent  domestic  life  of  this  people, 
no  visible  evidence  of  which  meets  the  eye  of  the 
casual  visitor ;  though  in  scanning  the  features  of  the 
large  audience  assembled  in  the  Tabernacle  on  Sun- 
day, the  obvious  want  of  intelligence  in  the  faces  of 
the  women,  compared  with  the  men,  was  certainly 
striking.  One  seemed  also  to  read  a  spirit  of  dis- 
content or  of  calloused  resignation  in  some  of  the 
better  female  countenances.  Of  the  thrift,  industry, 
and  material  success  of  this  community  there  can  be 
but  one  opinion.  An  important  statistical  item  occurs 
to  us  in  this  connection  which  is  highly  significant. 
It  appears  that  while  Colorado  and  Kansas  spend 
each  one  dollar  and  a  tenth,  and  Nebraska  two 
dollars  and  a  tenth  per  head  on  the  education  of 
their  school  population,  Utah  expends  but  nine- 
tenths  of  a  dollar  for  the  same  purpose.  Upon  in- 
quiry it  was  discovered  that  polygamy  did  not  at 
first  form  any  part  of  the  faith  of  Mormonism.  The 
originator  of  the  creed,  Joseph  Smith,  never  pro- 
mulgated such  doctrine,  and  possessed  but  one  wife. 
The  "celestial  marriage  "  humbug  was  first  preached 
by  Brigham  Young,  in  1852,  when  he  produced  a  doc- 


MORMONISM,  7 

ument  bearing  the  above  title,  pretending  that  it  was 
revealed  to  Joseph  Smith  a  year  before  his  death. 
Smith's  widow  and  son,  both  surviving,  pronounced 
this  to  be  a  falsehood,  a  pure  invention,  but  Young 
was   too  strongly  seated   in   his  chair  of  authority 
not  to  be  able  to  carry  his   point.      This  "revela- 
tion "  was  incorporated  into  the  Mormon  faith  by  a 
meeting  of  the  assembled  deacons  of  the  church,  and 
has  since  become  its  most  prominent  feature.     Mor- 
mon missionaries  seek  proselytes  mostly  in  Brittany, 
Scandinavia,  Denmark,  and  Wales,  addressing  them- 
selves to  the  most  ignorant  classes.    These  poor,  half- 
starved  creatures  are  helped  pecuniarily  to  emigrate, 
believing  that  they  are   coming   to  a  land  flowing 
with  milk  and   honey.     In  most   cases  any  change 
with  them  would  be  for  the  better;  and  so  the  ranks 
of  Mormonism  are  numerically  recruited,  not  from 
any    religious    impulse    in    the   new   disciples,   but 
through  the  simple  desire  to  better  their   physical 
condition  in  life.     No   portrait  of   Mormonism  will 
prove  to  be  a  true  likeness  which  does  not  depict  its 
twofold   features,  its   iniquity   and   its   thrift.      The 
conclusion  forces  itself  upon  the  visitor  that  railroads 
and  contact  with  the  world  will  gradually  obliterate 
the  institution  of  polygamy. 

Two  days  and  one  night  of  additional  travel 
brought  us  to  San  Francisco,  a  distance  of  six  hun- 
dred miles.  We  passed  through  the  grandest  por- 
tion of  the  Sierra  Nevada  Mountains  between  mid- 
night and  dawn,  but  the  moon  was  near  its  full,  and 
the  sky  radiant  with  starlight;  so  that,  by  placing 
seats  upon  the  platform  of  the  cars,  a  fine  view  of  this 
remarkable  passage  was  obtained,  characterized  by 
deep  canons,  wild  gorges,  lofty  wooded  peaks,  and 


8  DUE   WEST. 

precipitous  declivities,  under  a  most  impressive  as- 
pect. A  few  specimens  of  native  Indians  were  seen 
at  Salt  Lake  City,  who  bad  come  in  from  the  hills 
to  purchase  trifles ;  but  after  leaving  Ogden  more  or 
less  of  the  Shoshones  and  Piute  tribes  were  to  be 
seen  lounging  in  picturesque  groups  at  nearly  every 
railroad  station.  A  few  also  traveled  with  us  short 
distances  in  the  baggage  car,  which  is  made  free  to 
them.  The  men  were  dirty,  uncouth  specimens  of 
humanity,  besmeared  with  yellow  ochre  and  vermil- 
ion, dressed  in  red  blankets,  and  bearing  a  hatchet  in 
their  hands,  their  only  visible  weapon.  The  women 
were  dressed  in  tawdry  colors,  —  striped  government 
blankets  and  red  flannel  leggins,  with  a  profusion  of 
colored  beads  about  their  necks,  and  cheap  jewelry  on 
fingers  and  wrists ;  each  one  with  an  infant  strapped 
in  a  flat  basket  to  her  back.  They  did  not  beg 
ostensibl}^,  but  were  ready  to  receive  trinkets,  to- 
bacco, pennies,  or  food.  The  women  were  very  un- 
cleanly in  their  appearance,  their  coarse  long  hair 
entirely  uncared  for,  but  they  were  good-natured  and 
smiling,  while  the  men  wore  a  morose  and  frowning 
expression  upon  their  countenances.  War,  whiskey, 
and  exposure  are  gradually  but  surely  blotting  out 
the  aborigines. 

We  were  thus,  without  any  special  haste,  but  twelve 
days  in  crossing  the  American  continent,  from  the 
Atlantic  to  the  Pacific,  on  about  the  fortieth  parallel 
of  latitude,  the  trip  having  afforded  us  much  quiet 
enjoyment  and  a  great  variety  of  bold  and  beautiful 
scenery,  too  near  home  and  too  familiar  to  our  readers 
to  dilate  upon  in  these  pages. 

San  Francisco,  with  its  population  of  three  hundred 
thousand,  is  a  city  of  great  commercial  wealth,  much 


TRADE  IN  CALIFORNIA.  9 

architectural  pretension,  and  progressive  ideas,  afford- 
ing the  traveler  the  best  and  cheapest  hotel  accom- 
modations in  the  world.  As  is  well  known,  it  owes 
its  early  impetus  to  the  discovery  of  gold  in  1848, 
but  the  product  of  the  precious  metal  has  long  since 
been  exceeded  more  than  tenfold  in  intrinsic  value 
by  the  agricultural  development  of  the  great  Pacific 
region,  which  finds  its  shipping  point  through  the 
Golden  Gate.  Though  California  still  produces  and 
sends  out  into  the  world  at  large  an  average  of  two 
millions  of  gold  each  month,  still  the  shining  ore  is 
but  a  secondary  consideration  in  her  productiveness, 
and  is  also  surpassed  by  her  export  of  wine  and  fruit. 
Men  who  came  here  with  the  gold  fever,  between 
twenty  and  thirty  years  ago,  gradually  recovered 
from  their  unwholesome  Aladdin-like  dreams,  and 
settled  down  to  reap  from  agriculture  and  legitimate 
business  surer  and  more  permanent  fortunes.  The 
population  which  sought  its  gains  in  wild  and  lawless 
adventure,  characterized  by  all  the  objectionable 
features  of  rude  pioneer  life,  has  gradually  given 
place  to  one  of  a  more  stable  nature,  governed  by  a 
respect  for  the  laws  and  the  wise  conventionalities 
of  society.  There  lies  a  brilliant  future  before  this 
section  of  the  country,  which  in  grand  possibilities 
defies  calculation  ;  it  has  passed  through  its  baptism 
of  fire,  and,  let  it  be  hoped,  has  burned  out  the  dross 
which  is  incident  to  the  too  rapid  growth  of  large 
communities. 

The  territorial  importance  of  California  will  be 
most  readily  presented  by  a  statement  of  the  facts 
that,  if  it  lay  on  the  Atlantic  shore,  it  would  extend 
from  Massachusetts  to  South  Carolina ;  that  it  is 
about  five  times  as  large  as  the  combined  New  Eng- 


10  DUE    WEST. 

land  States ;  and  that  it  absolutely  teems  with  gar- 
dens, vineyards,  orange,  apple,  pear,  and  peach  or- 
chards, and  vast  grain  fields.  The  climate  presents 
most  of  the  advantages  of  the  tropics,  with  few  of  the 
drawbacks.  Hot-houses  for  delicate  plants  are  hardly 
needed  in  winter,  and  the  fan-palm  flourishes  as  it 
does  at  Singapore. 

A  visit  to  that  part  of  San  Francisco  known  as 
China  Town  revealed  the  fact  that  twenty  thousand 
Chinese  were  here  living  in  tenements  which  would 
be  insufficient  for  three  or  four  thousand  Americans. 
They  are  clearly  actuated  by  the  same  purpose  as 
that  indicated  by  the  motto  of  the  home  Spaniard 
who  leaves  Madrid  for  Cuba  :  "  Seven  years  of  starva- 
tion and  a  fortune."  The  Chinaman  hoards  nearly 
all  he  receives,  and  in  four  or  five  years  can  return  to 
his  native  land  with  a  sum  of  money  which,  to  him, 
is  an  assured  independence.  They  are  extremely  un- 
popular with  the  citizens  of  all  classes,  and  not  with- 
out some  good  reasons,  being  naturally  a  filthy  race, 
and  in  many  ways  specially  offensive.  It  must  not 
be  understood  that  there  are  only  Chinese  washer- 
men, laborers,  and  artisans  in  the  city ;  there  are  also 
responsible  merchants,  brokers,  and  manufacturers 
belonging  to  that  nationality,  wielding  considerable 
influence,  both  among  their  own  people  and  the  citi- 
zens at  large.  Every  street  in  Cliina  Town  has  its 
joss-house  or  temple,  and  however  low  these  Mongols 
are  as  a  race,  they  never  fail  to  give  heed  to  their 
professed  religion  and  its  various  forms.  It  is  also  a 
fact  that  crime  is  less  frequent  in  China  Town  than 
it  is  in  other  parts  of  the  city ;  and  drunkenness,  ex- 
cept insensibility  from  opium,  is  scarcely  known 
among  the  Chinese  in  California. 


THE   CLIFF  HOUSE.  11 

Driving  in  and  about  the  city,  one  is  impressed  by 
the  manifest  love  of  flowers  exhibited  in  the  front 
yards  of  the  dwelling-houses,  and  in  the  pleasant  gar- 
dens attached  to  suburban  villas,  as  well  as  by  the 
blooming  plants  displayed  on  the  window-sills  of  the 
homes  of  all  classes.  The  admirably  chosen  spot  for 
a  cemetery,  on  the  rising  ground  behind  the  city,  is 
also  finely  ornamented  with  choice  trees  and  flower- 
ing shrubs,  among  which  are  pines,  cypresses,  Aus- 
tralian gum  trees  (evergreen),  mimosas,  and  many 
other  blooming  plants,  well  arranged  for  good  effect. 
The  scarlet  geranium  here  grows  six  and  eight  feet 
high,  producing  with  its  brilliant  bloom  a  dazzling 
effect.  The  same  drive  which  conducts  to  the  ceme- 
tery, a  little  further  on  brought  us  to  a  most  delight- 
ful public  garden  and  park  combined.  Here  were 
broad  roads,  as  smooth  and  perfect  as  roads  can  be 
made  ;  footpaths  leading  into  inviting  groves,  beauti- 
ful lawns  relieved  by  groups  of  graceful  trees,  lakes, 
and  fountains,  with  several  large  ornamental  con- 
servatories for  the  most  delicate  exotics.  The  whole 
formed  an  exposition  of  landscape  gardening  of  which 
any  city  might  be  proud. 

A  couple  of  miles  beyond  this  noble  park  brought 
us  to  the  Cliff  House,  a  favorite  resort  of  the  peo- 
ple, situated  on  a  high  bluff  of  the  Pacific  coast  and 
affording  an  ocean  view  only  limited  by  the  powers 
of  the  human  vision.  Looking  due  west,  no  land  in- 
tervenes between  this  shore  and  the  far-off  coast  of 
Japan,  a  distance  of  five  thousand  miles,  which  we 
were  destined  soon  to  traverse.  Two  hundred  yards 
off  the  shore,  just  opposite  the  Cliff,  a  large  rock  rises 
from  the  sea  some  hundred  feet  or  more,  upon  which 
scores  of  sea-lions  come  out  of  the  water  at  all  hours 


12  DUE   WEST. 

of  the  day  to  sun  themselves,  affording  a  very  pecu- 
liar and  amusing  sight.  They  are  of  all  sizes,  weigh- 
ing from  fifty  to  one  thousand  pounds,  some  of  the 
old  ones  even  exceeding  this  estimate,  yet  possessing 
a  muscular  power  which  enables  them  easily  to  climb 
the  rough  side  of  the  precipitous  rock.  The  half 
roar,  half  bark  of  the  herd  comes  with  harsh  discord- 
ance upon  the  ear  of  the  listener  at  the  Cliff.  The 
law  of  the  State  protects  these  sea-lions  from  all  sorts 
of  molestation  ;  so  here  they  quarrel  among  them- 
selves furiously,  suckle  their  young,  tumble  into  the 
sea,  and  thrive  and  multiply. 

In  many  respects  San  Francisco  resembles  a  New 
England  capital,  —  a  very  natural  result  when  we 
remember  that  a  large  percentage  of  her  people  aro 
natives  of  these  Eastern  States.  She  has  copied  tho 
Boston  school  system  almost  exactly,  and  there  are 
few  of  our  oldest  cities  so  well  organized  in  this  de- 
partment of  progress,  though  the  city  is  but  little 
over  twenty  years  of  age,  dati^ig  from  the  time  when 
she  first  came  prominently  into  public  notice.  Girls 
and  boys  are  not  only  afforded  the  most  excellent 
educational  advantages,  but  a  spirit  of  emulation  is 
successfully  fostered  among  them,  especially  encour- 
aging to  the  observant  visitor.  There  is  a  high 
school  for  boys  and  one  for  girls,  also  a  Normal  school 
for  the  education  of  teachers.  San  Francisco  has 
from  the  outset  established  a  fixed  reputation,  by 
employing  and  liberally  compensating  the  best  pul- 
pit talent  to  be  had  in  the  country. 

Finding  that  the  steamship  in  whicli  we  were  to 
sail  for  Japan  would  be  detained  for  the  period  of 
ten  days,  it  was  resolved  to  improve  the  time  by  a 
visit  to  the  Yosemite  Valley,  involving  a  journey,  in 


EN  ROUTE  FOR   YOSEMITE.  13 

the  round  trip,  of  over  six  hundred  miles,  a  large  por- 
tion of  which  is  performed  by  coach.  The  time, 
trouble,  and  expense  were,  however,  abundantly  re- 
paid by  the  experience  gained  among  the  wonderful 
developments  of  nature,  as  exhibited  in  Alpine 
scenery  and  the  grandeur  of  forests  which  produce 
giant  trees  over  three  hundred  feet  in  height  and 
forty  in  diameter,  and  which  are  proven  to  be  over 
thirteen  centuries  old.  The  cars  took  us  to  Madeira, 
0.  frontier  station  to  which  the  broad  grain  fields  of 
California  already  extend.  From  here,  early  next 
morning,  we  took  a  four-horse  covered  wagon  to 
Coarse  Gold  Gulch  to  dine,  and  here  we  passed  the 
pight  on  our  return,  it  being  a  ranch  kept  by  a 
worthy  German  family.  Though  the  accommoda- 
tions were  rather  crude,  ample  satisfaction  was  as- 
sured b}^  the  cheerful  service  rendered  and  the  clean- 
liness which  characterized  everything. 

We  reached  Clark's  Hotel,  located  at  the  foot  of 
the  mountains  where  the  abrupt  ascent  begins,  on  the 
evening  of  the  second  day  after  leaving  San  Fran- 
cisco. Early  the  next  morning  the  journey  was  re- 
newed, six  horses  now  taking  the  place  of  four,  which 
number,  with  frequent  changes,  had  been  quite  sufl&- 
cient  on  the  previous  day.  The  driver  who  now 
took  us  in  charge  was  a  large,  fine  specimen  of  the 
mulatto  race,  and  certainly  a  very  excellent  whip, 
steady,  and  as  strong  as  a  Hercules.  There  are  few 
positions  which  require  more  skill  and  vigilance  than 
to  safely  drive  a  team  of  six  horses  and  a  coach  full 
of  passengers  by  the  precipitous,  winding  road  over 
the  mountains  intervening  between  Clark's  and  the 
level  of  the  valley,  to  enter  which  a  rise  of  over 
seven  thousand  feet  must  be  achieved.     Scarcely  had 


14  DUE    WEST. 

we  fairly  commenced  the  upward  climb,  when  it  was 
observed  that  we  had  left  all  signs  of  human  habita- 
tion behind;  and  soon  even  fences  disappeared,  except 
about  the  coach  company's  ranches,  where  we  stopped 
to  change  horses,  in  groves  of  sugar  pine  and  yellow 
pine  trees  of  great  size  and  beauty.  Here  we  were 
literally  surrounded  by  Nature,  which  some  quaint 
writer  denominates  God's  Old  Testament. 

An  austere  and  almost  mournful  air  of  loneliness 
surrounded  us,  as  we  crept  higher  and  higher  towards 
that  ethereal  blue  canopy  which  hung  over  the  loftiest 
peaks.  All  was  silence  save  the  rumbling  noise  of 
our  conveyance  ;  and  when,  as  was  the  case  at  a  sud- 
den angle  of  the  winding  road,  a  large  black  bear 
was  seen  coolly  sitting  on  his  haunches,  with  listless 
hanging  paws,  looking  at  the  stage  and  its  contents, 
it  did  not  seem  at  all  strange,  but  quite  in  keeping 
with  the  solitary  surroundings,  though  some  of  our 
horses  did  exhibit  a  little  restlessness.  The  pistol- 
like crack  of  the  driver's  whip  was  an  intimation  to 
Bruin  which  he  understood,  for  he  slowly  dropped 
into  the  thick  brush  and  rolled  awkwardly  away  from 
the  roadside.  The  eye  was  never  weary  in  detecting 
the  natural  architecture  of  the  mountain  acclivities, 
which,  in  the  constantly  varying  scenery,  formed  am- 
phitheatres like  old  Roman  circuses,  and  now  square 
battlemented  crags,  like  crumbling  castles  on  the 
Khine,  and  again  a  deep,  shady  ravine  of  unknown 
depth,  where  lonely  mist-wreaths  rested  like  snow- 
drifts. In  the  far  background  were  cliffs  like  ori- 
ental minarets,  and  balled  rocks  capped  like  the  dome 
of  St.  Peter's. 

There  were  often  seen  nestling  beside  the  road, 
struggling  for  a  precarious  existence,  frail  wild  flowers 


BEAUTIES   OE   YOSEMITE.  15 

of  delicate  shades,  surrounded  by  vigorous  ferns  and 
creeping  vines,  showing  that  Nature  has  her  poetic 
moods  even  among  these  deserted  regions.  Now  we 
came  upon  a  crystal  stream  of  water,  winding  and 
fretting  over  a  narrow  bed  of  rocks  on  the  mountain 
side,  sparkling  in  the  sunshine,  as  it  formed  tiny  cas- 
cades, until  presently  it  lost  itself  by  an  artificial 
culvert  under  the  roadway ;  but  even  then  it  could 
be  heard  leaping  and  tumbling  down  the  deep  abyss 
on  the  other  side.  The  horses  were  familiar  with  the 
road,  and  had  confidence  in  the  stout  hand  that  guided 
them,  or  they  would  not  have  gone  on  at  such  a  quiet, 
unconcerned,  uniform  gait,  close  beside  abrupt  gorges 
that  would  have  destroyed  us  all  as  instantly  as  a 
stroke  of  lightning,  were  the  wheels  to  diverge  but  a 
few  inches  from  the  track. 

It  was  interesting  to  observe  the  species  of  trees 
which  characterized  the  several  elevations.  At  one 
thousand  feet  nut  pines  and  oaks  mingled  gracefully 
together,  but  at  another  thousand  gradually  disap- 
peared, giving  place  to  the  lofty  yellow  pines,  added 
to  which  the  sugar  pine  was  found  at  three  thousand 
feet,  that  in  turn  dying  out  at  seven  thousand  feet. 
Next  came  the  spruce,  superbly  developed,  growing 
to  a  height  of  two  hundred  feet ;  then  the  white  pine, 
the  silver  fir,  and  the  arbor  vitse,  all  thriving  luxuri- 
ously after  their  kind.  Birds  almost  entirely  disap- 
peared at  these  altitudes,  preferring  the  more  genial 
warmth  and  life  of  the  plains ;  but  now  and  then  an 
eagle,  with  broad  spread  pinions,  swooped  gracefully 
from  the  top  of  some  lonely  pine,  and  sailed,  without 
a  flutter  of  his  wings,  far  away  across  the  depth  of 
the  valley,  and  was  soon  lost  to  sight  by  the  winding 
of  the  gorge.     Even  the  presence  of  this  proud  and 


16  DUE   WEST. 

peculiar  bird  but  emphasized  the  loneliness  of  these 
silent  heights. 

After  hours  of  upward  struggle  the  crowning  point 
was  reached.  The  driver  remarked,  with  a  flourish 
of  his  whip:  "It's  all  downhill  from  here;"  soon 
after  which  we  emerged  from  the  forest  road  and 
came  to  the  open  plateau  known  to  tourists  as  Inspi- 
ration Point.  Here  the  first  comprehensive  view  of 
the  valley  is  obtained.  We  paused  briefly  to  behold 
and  to  realize,  as  far  as  possible,  such  a  scene  as 
might  never  again  be  afforded  us.  Though  we  were 
now  at  an  elevation  of  over  seven  thousand  feet  above 
the  plains,  the  Yosemite  Valley  itself,  from  this  point, 
was  but  about  three  thousand  five  hundred  feet  be- 
low us,  into  which  we  gazed  with  uninterrupted  view. 
Running  nearly  due  east  and  west,  it  looked  small 
and  circumscribed  from  this  great  height,  but  was 
really  a  gorge  of  about  eight  miles  in  length  by  two 
miles  in  width.  On  either  side  rose  vertical  cliffs  of 
granite,  varying  from  four  to  five  thousand  feet  in 
height,  the  lofty  gorges  here  and  there  discharging 
waterfalls  of  transparent  beauty. 

The  precipitous  mountains  which  wall  in  the  val- 
ley are  composed  of  seventeen  distinctive  formations, 
the  loftiest  of  which  is  Mount  Starr  King,  5,600  feet 
in  height ;  but  the  Three  Brothers,  with  an  average 
height  of  less  than  4,000  feet,  and  Sentinel  Dome, 
4,500  feet,  are  quite  as  prominent,  so  far  as  the  ordi- 
nary power  of  vision  goes  ;  while  El  Capitan,  w^hich  is 
but  3,300  feet  high,  seems,  from  its  special  position, 
more  striking  and  effective  than  the  other  three. 
From  the  gorges  above  and  between  the  precipitous 
cliffs,  eleven  falls,  of  greater  or  less  magnitude,  come 
tumbling  into  the  valley,  the  loftiest  of  which  is  Sen. 


THE  FALLS.  17 

tinel  Fall,  3,000  feet  high.  To  our  taste,  the  fall 
known  as  the  Bridal  Veil  was  the  finest  of  them  all 
in  effect,  though  but  a  little  over  600  feet  in  height, 
or  say  four  times  as  high  as  Niagara.  The  lofty 
Yosemite  Fall,  over  2,600  feet,  can  be  seen  from  the 
piazza  of  the  hotel  to  good  effect,  where  one  can  sit 
and  watch  the  current  of  air,  which  sweeps  up  the 
valley,  play  fantastic  tricks  with  the  broad  glittering 
sheet  of  flying  water.  No  pen  can  adequately  de- 
scribe this  scene,  and  no  American  who  can  possibly 
do  so  should  fail  to  visit  the  spot.  The  abundant 
moisture  of  the  locality  and  the  vertical  rays  of  the 
sun  carpet  the  valley  with  a  bright  and  uniform 
verdure,  through  the  midst  of  which  winds  the  swift 
flowing  Merced  River,  altogether  forming  a  scene  of 
most  entrancing  beauty. 

It  was  not  until  so  late  as  1851  that  the  feet  of  a 
white  man  ever  trod  the  valley,  which  for  years  had 
proven  the  secure  hiding-place  of  marauding  Indians. 
In  their  early  battles  with  the  savages,  the  whites 
were  often  nonplussed  by  the  sudden  disappearance 
of  their  foes,  who  left  no  trace  behind  them,  on  which 
occasions,  as  was  afterwards  discovered,  they  fled  to 
the  nearly  inaccessible  Yosemite  Valley.  Betrayed 
at  last  by  a  treacherous  Indian,  the  tribe  was  here 
surprised  and  nearly  all  destroyed ;  the  few  remain- 
ing warriors  were  only  too  glad  to  make  terms  at  any 
sacrifice.  The  name  Yosemite,  in  the  native  tongue, 
signifies  "  Great  Grizzly  Bear."  There  are  few  resi- 
dents in  the  valley,  except  those  connected  with  the 
stages  that  run  hither  during  the  summer  months, 
and  with  the  hotel  kept  for  the  accommodation  of 
visitors.  The  vegetation  is  remarkable  for  its  pro- 
fuseness  and    almost  tropical  luxuriance.      A  few 

2 


18  DUE    WEST. 

domestic  cattle  find  rich  browsing  and  good  winter 
quarters,  but  provisions  must  be  laid  in  before  the 
fall  is  over,  the  place  being  inaccessible  in  winter. 

Our  last  view,  on  leaving  the  valley,  was  at  the 
sheet  of  water  already  mentioned  as  the  Bridal  Veil, 
falling  from  such  an  immense  height  that  it  becomes 
in  its  course  gauze-like,  almost  as  thin  as  lace  in 
appearance,  notwithstanding  its  large  body,  which 
is  evident  enough  when  it  reaches  the  rocky  bed  and 
joins  the  Merced,  not  far  away.  Around  the  base 
of  the  cliffs,  promoted  by  the  constant  moisture, 
there  was  an  abundant  growth  of  vegetation  and  es- 
pecially of  ferns,  of  such  size  and  variety  as  is  seldom 
seen  out  of  the  tropics.  An  encampment  of  native 
Indians  was  located  on  the  river's  bank,  under  the 
shade  of  a  grove  of  trees,  adding  to  the  picturesque- 
ness  of  the  scene  during  our  visit.  The  fish  and 
forest  game  close  at  hand  afforded  these  aborigines 
ample  food,  besides  which  they  had  stored  for  winter 
use  the  acorn  crop  about  them,  which  when  ground 
makes  good  bread.  They  were  sad  looking  creatures, 
far  worse  than  the  Spanish  gypsies  we  afterwards 
saw  in  Andalusia.  The  Merced  River,  which  winds 
through  the  valley,  rises  some  twenty  miles  away 
towards  the  north,  fed  by  the  Yosemite  Fall,  a  cata- 
ract unsurpassed  in  height  by  any  other  upon  the 
globe.  The  vertical  height  of  the  fall  is  set  down 
at  2,550  feet,  though  it  is  not  composed  of  one  per- 
pendicular sheet  of  water.  The  reader  will  remem- 
ber that  the  lands  coming  under  the  general  term 
of  the  Yosemite  Valley  have  been  ceded  by  the  Na- 
tional Government  to  the  State  of  California,  to  be 
kept  in  its  present  wild  and  natural  condition  for 
all  time.     It  must  not  be  considered   anticipatory, 


CAUGHT  IN  A   SNOW-STORM.  19 

in  the  course  of  these  notes,  to  say  that  in  no  other 
part  of  the  world  have  we  seen  the  natural  beauty 
and  grandeur  of  the  Yosemite  Valley  surpassed. 

When  we  commenced  our  return  from  the  valley, 
early  in  the  morning,  heavy  clouds  hung  over  the 
mountain  tops,  but  there  was  no  other  indication  of 
bad  weather ;  so  we  started  off  and  struggled  upwards 
with  a  stout  team  of  six  horses,  the  gentlemen  walk- 
ing to  lighten  the  load  and  expedite  the  ascent.  At 
the  close  of  the  first  hour's  progress  a  chilliness  in 
the  atmosphere  called  for  extra  clothing  for  those 
who  remained  in  the  coach,  and  presently  a  thin 
mist  enshrouded  us,  cutting  off  all  distant  view.  Up, 
up  we  plodded,  steadily  but  slowly,  until  the  mist 
turned  to  rain  and  then  to  hail,  sharp  and  cutting. 
By  the  time  we  had  reached  Inspiration  Point  we 
were  in  the  midst  of  a  lively  snow-storm.  This  was 
not  only  disagreeable,  but  dangerous,  as  it  rendered 
the  road  slippery  and  obliterated  the  wheel  tracks  ; 
unless  these  were  carefully  adhered  to,  we  might  at 
any  moment  be  launched  into  the  ever-threatening 
abyss.  It  was  late  in  the  season  to  attempt  the  pas- 
sage, and  our  party  was  cautioned  as  to  the  risk 
which  was  connected  with  the  expedition.  The  reg- 
ular stages  having  been  taken  off  for  the  season,  ours 
was  an  extra,  improvised  for  the  occasion.  Suddenly 
it  began  to  grow  lighter ;  the  dark  clouds,  like  the 
Arabs,  folded  their  tents,  and  silently  stole  away. 
The  sun,  the  warm,  bright,  morning  sun,  shone  forth 
in  marvelous  splendor. 

What  a  scene  then  burst  upon  our  vision  ! 

Pine,  and  fir,  and  tall  spruce,  every  tree  and  shrub, 
in  place  of  leaves,  had  assumed  a  dress  of  milk  white 
feathers.      How  dazzling  it  was.      The   eye  could 


20  DUE   WEST, 

hardly  bear  the  strong  reflected  light.  A  forest  of 
feathers !  We  had  never  seen  this  effect  in  such 
perfection  before.  And  now  the  sun,  liissing  these 
feathery  sprays  with  warmth  and  burning  ardor, 
made  them  bkish  rosy  red,  like  the  cheeks  of  a  young 
maiden  pressed  by  amorous  lips.  The  feathery  j-obe 
of  the  branches  was  as  frail  as  false  modesty,  and 
melted  away  like  good  resolutions  under  strong  temp- 
tation, so  that  in  half  an  hour  the  snow  had  entirely 
disappeared  wherever  the  sun  had  discovered  and 
visited  it.  The  deep  green  of  the  uncovered  foliage 
only  sparkled  with  the  dewy  moisture  that  was  left, 
as  though  dropping  tears  of  shame  at  being  thus  de- 
x.uded  of  their  gauzy  veil.  Never  shall  we  forget 
the  varied  and  beautiful  appearance  of  the  foliage 
unc!er  these  rapid  changes.  It  was  like  a  theatrical 
exhibition,  where  a  nearly  transparent  scene  dissolves 
before  the  eyes  of  the  audience.  The  sky,  before  so 
dark  and  brooding,  was  now  all  smiles ;  the  sun,  after 
its  dalliance  with  the  foliage,  seemed  to  have  taken 
new  life;  and  the  atmosphere  even  became  clear  and 
transparent,  as  it  had  hardly  been  when  we  came  up 
the  other  side  of  the  mountain  to  enter  the  valley. 

For  a  brief  time  the  views  were  grand  and  far- 
reaching  as  we  sped  rapidly  on  our  way,  descending 
towards  the  plain.  Undoubtedly  it  was  safe  enough, 
since  accidents  seldom  happen ;  but  it  looked  a  little 
careless,  to  one  not  accustomed  to  the  road,  to  come 
down  its  narrow  winding  course,  just  clearing  such 
frightful  chasms,  drawn  by  a  team  of  six  horses  at 
the  full  gallop.  By  degrees  the  weather  changed 
again  into  a  sombre  mood ;  the  clouds  gathered  in 
close  array,  and  began  to  pelt  us,  first  with  hailstones, 
but,  having  apparently  soon  exhausted  the  supply, 


THE  BIG   TREES   OF  CALIFORNIA.  21 

were  content  to  soak  us  with  a  deluge  of  water.  But 
we  only  laughed  at  this,  for  had  we  not  accomplished 
the  Yosemite  in  spite  of  prognostications  to  the  con- 
trary, and  the  assurance  that  it  was  too  late  in  the 
season  to  attempt  it?  We  were  rejoiced  now  that 
we  had  not  heeded  the  stories  about  people  who  had, 
in  former  seasons,  been  "snowed  in"  for  weeks.  It 
was  nearly  night  when  we  reached  Clark's,  and  we 
were  in  just  the  condition  to  appreciate  the  big  fire- 
place of  the  sitting-room  piled  with  unsawed  cord- 
wood,  by  which  we  dried  our  dripping  clothes  and 
rehearsed  our  experiences. 

It  not  only  rained  that  night,  but  it  poured  so  that 
on  the  following  morning,  when  we  started  for  the 
Mariposa  Grove  of  Big  Trees,  twelve  miles  off  our 
regular  route,  the  query  arose  whether  a  boat  or  a 
wheeled  vehicle  was  the  best  conveyance  for  the  pur- 
pose. We  will  not  attempt  to  give  a  detailed  ac- 
count of  what  has  been  so  often  and  so  well  described. 
SuflQce  it  to  say  we  visited  the  locality  famous  for  its 
forest  monarchs,  in  a  quiet  glade,  thousands  of  feet 
up  the  slopes  of  the  Sierra,  and  viewed  those  mar- 
vels with  none  the  less  interest  because  we  were  al- 
ready familiar  with  their  actual  measurement.  Our 
entire  team,  stage,  driver,  passengers,  and  horses, 
passed  through  the  upright  hollow  trunk  of  one  of 
the  mammoth  trees,  which,  though  sufficiently  de- 
cayed to  admit  of  this,  was  still  possessed  of  such  vi- 
tality as  to  cause  it  to  bear  leaves  to  the  topmost 
branches,  three  hundred  feet  above  the  ground.  Our 
attention  was  called  to  the  curious  fact,  that  although 
these  are  the  largest  known  trees  in  the  world,  yet 
their  cones  are  no  bigger  than  walnuts,  and  their 
seeds  hardly  a  quarter  of  an  inch  in  length.     There 


22  DUE   WEST. 

are  trees  lying  upon  the  ground  in  tlie  immediate 
neighborhood,  thrown  down  by  tempests,  which  are 
believed  to  have  been  growing  on  the  spot  long  before 
Christ  first  came  upon  earth,  and  others  which  are 
satisfactorily  proven  to  have  had  thirteen  hundred 
years'  growth,  by  their  clearly  defined  annual  rings. 
How  immense  must  have  been  the  power  required  to 
uproot  the  huge  trunks  that  lie  here  and  there,  like 
prostrate  giants  fallen  in  a  confused  fight.  There 
are  others,  white  with  age,  and  bearing  no  leaves,  but 
which  still  firmly  retain  their  upright  position,  with 
outstretched  skeleton  arms  defying  the  tempest. 

We  embarked  on  board  the  steamship  Belgic,  of 
the  Occidental  and  Oriental  line,  from  San  Francisco, 
October  10,  in  a  heavy  rain  storm,  amid  the  usual 
bustle  and  commotion  attendant  upon  the  departure 
of  a  large  passenger  ship  for  a  long  voyage.  Every- 
thing looked  very  cold,  very  dreary,  and  very  damp, 
causing  our  spirits  to  partake  of  the  same  nature, 
when  we  realized  that  for  three  weeks  or  more  this 
was  to  be  our  floating  home.  With  space  so  circum- 
scribed, ventilation  was  inadequate,  and  the  cook's 
galley  pungent.  Finally  the  United  States  mail  was 
passed  on  deck,  the  last  loiterer  was  on  board,  the 
gangway  was  hauled  on  to  the  wharf  by  the  steve- 
dores ;  the  engine  gave  three  distressing  whistles,  not 
clear  and  sharp,  but  asthmatic  ones,  as  though  not 
having  clearly  made  up  its  mind  to  whistle  at  all ; 
the  pilot  took  his  station  on  the  bridge,  and  the  screw 
began  to  revolve.  The  bow-line  was  let  go,  so  that 
the  ship  might  swing  by  her  stern  hawser  well  clear 
of  the  wharf,  then  the  order  to  let  go  the  stern  line 
was  shouted,  and  we  had  literally  bidden  good-by  to 
America  for  many  a  long  month. 


PASSING   THE   GOLDEN-  GATE.  23 

Presently,  when  we  passed  through  the  narrow 
strait  known  as  the  Golden  Gate,  and  laid  our  course 
westward,  we  began  to  realize  that  five  thousand  miles 
of  ocean  flowed  between  us  and  the  shore  towards 
which  we  were  steering.  One  is  apt  to  have  some 
serious  reflections  on  such  an  occasion.  What  lay- 
before  us  in  the  many  thousand  miles  of  land  and 
ocean  travel  ?  What  perils  and  experiences  were  to 
be  encountered  ?  Who  could  say  that  we  should  all, 
or  indeed  any  of  us,  live  to  return  to  our  several 
homes?  At  San  Francisco  our  company  was  aug- 
mented by  the  addition  of  an  Englishman,  Mr.  D , 

of  London,  a  stranger  to  us,  but  who  came  thither  to 
join  the  party,  making  our  number  six  in  all. 

Hundreds  of  large  white  sea-gulls  hovered  over  and 
about  the  ship,  as  we  lay  our  course  due  west.  The 
harbor  of  San  Francisco  swarms  with  these  marine 
birds,  and  a  score  of  them  followed  the  ship  after  the 
pilot  left  us.  As  we  were  watching  them,  an  ofiicer 
of  the  Belgic  remarked ;  "  They  will  follow  us  across 
the  Pacific; "  and  certainly  that  number  of  sea-gulls 
actually  appeared  to  do  so,  though  whether  they  were 
always  the  same  birds,  it  would  be  impossible  to  say. 
The  flight  of  a  sea-gull  at  times  exceeds  twenty  miles 
an  hour,  while  the  Belgic,  at  her  maximum  speed, 
scarcely  exceeded  half  that ;  and  thus  these  swift- 
winged  creatures  often  flew  far  ahead  of  the  ship, 
but  soon  settled  back  again  to  watch  our  wake,  from 
whence  they  got  their  food  supply. 

There  were  twenty-five  cabin  passengers,  and  about 
three  hundred  Chinese  in  the  steerage.  The  latter 
were  returning  home  after  some  years  of  labor  and 
saving  in  this  country,  for  few  if  any  of  them  emi- 
grate except  with  a  fixed  purpose  of  returning  to  the 


24  DUE   WEST. 

Celestial  Empire  sooner  or  later.  The  purser  of  the 
ship  informed  us  that  there  was  not  one  of  them 
•who  had  not  at  least  a  thousand  dollars  in  specie  with 
him,  and  many  had  three  times  that  amount,  which 
would  be  sufficient  to  support  them  for  life  and  with- 
out labor  in  their  native  land.  The  same  authority 
assured  us  that  it  did  not  cost  over  ten  cents  a  day 
each  to  feed  these  men,  they  being  quite  content  with 
boiled  rice,  three  times  a  day,  seasoned  with  a  little 
dried  fish  or  curry.  Their  passage  money  costs  them 
forty-five  dollars  each,  including  food,  so  there  is  a 
liberal  margin  for  profit  to  the  ship.  A  careful  esti- 
mate was  made  which  showed  that  these  passengers 
were  taking  out  of  the  country  over  half  a  million  of 
dollars  in  specie,  though  they  had  landed  on  our  shores 
without  a  dollar  in  their  pockets,  and  the  number  re- 
turning by  the  Belgic  was  below  the  general  aver- 
age. This  proved  the  complaint  of  the  people  of  San 
Francisco  to  be  correct  so  far  as  figures  went,  name- 
ly, that  the  Chinese  came  to  take  away  what  they 
earned,  and  that  they  do  not  spend  any  of  their  wages 
in  this  country,  living  on  almost  nothing  and  hoard- 
ing what  they  receive.  Still,  there  is  another  side  to 
this  case.  We  must  remember  that  they  leave  be- 
hind them  the  result  of  their  labor  at  least,  which  in 
fact  represents  just  so  much  capital.  It  is  Chinese 
labor  which  has  built  the  railroads  of  California,  dug 
her  canals,  forwarded  her  public  works,  erected  the 
houses  of  San  Francisco,  discharged  and  loaded  her 
shipping,  until  she  has  grown  up  to  her  present  high 
position  in  the  political  and  commercial  world. 

Six  of  our  cabin  passengers  were  missionaries,  four 
ladies  and  two  gentlemen,  bound  to  Japan  and  China; 
the  rest  were  travelers  intent  upon  business  or  pleas- 


A  LEVIATHAN  OF  THE  DEEP.  -25 

ure.  Of  these  some  were  seriously  prostrated  by  sea- 
sickness, and  especially  the  ladies;  but  this  finally 
passed  away,  the  greatest  sufferers  being  exempt  from 
it  during  the  last  half  of  the  voyage.  The  inevitable 
monotony  of  our  daily  life  was  somewhat  oppressive, 
there  being  few  events  to  vary  it.  Occasionally  a 
whale  was  sighted,  throwing  up  a  small  column  of 
water,  as  it  rose  at  intervals  to  the  surface,  and  thus 
marking  its  course,  leading  the  passengers  to  some 
discussion  as  to  the  nature  of  this  monster  of  the 
deep,  whether  it  was  properly  a  fish  at  all.  A 
whale  can  be  as  surely  drowned  in  the  water  as  a 
man,  but  this  cannot  be  said  of  a  fish.  A  whale  dif- 
fers also  in  many  other  respects  from  the  finny  tribe 
proper.  They  bring  forth  living  young,  they  breathe 
atmospheric  air  through  their  lungs,  in  place  of  water 
through  the  gills,  having  a  double  heart  and  warm 
blood,  like  land  animals.  Their  blow-holes  on  the 
top  of  the  head  answer  to  the  nostrils  of  terrestrial 
animals.  Many  of  these  simple  facts  were  quite  new 
to  some  of  our  intelligent  companions. 

Flying-fish  were  frequently  seen,  queer  little  crea- 
tures with  the  nature  of  a  fish  and  the  ambition  of  a 
bird.  Dolphins  sometimes  played  round  the  ship  for 
hours  together,  and  a  few  hideous  man-eating  sharks 
kept  in  our  wake  day  after  day,  as  if  they  hoped  for 
a  stray  victim  to  tumble  from  the  decks  and  appease 
their  cannibal  appetites.  The  sea-gulls,  already  men- 
tioned, with  tireless  pinions  followed  the  ship  thou- 
sands of  miles  to  pick  up  the  refuse  from  the  cook's 
galley,  —  the  mystery  being  how  they  could  sustain 
such  continuous  flight,  for  though  they  were  seen  to 
light  upon  the  water  it  was  but  for  a  moment,  and 
they  did  not  fail  to  keep  up  with  the  Belgic  in  her 


$^  DUE   WEST, 

steady  headway.  Save  the  objects  named  there  was 
nothing  to  engage  the  eye  except  the  endless  expanse 
of  waters,  which  seemed  to  typify  infinite  space.  Our 
course  did  not  lie  in  the  track  of  commerce,  nor  did 
we  sight  ship  or  land  from  the  hour  we  sank  the 
shores  of  America  until  just  three  weeks  later,  when 
the  picturesque  coast-line  of  Japan  appeared  upon 
the  horizon.  It  was  a  voyage  of  storms  and  calms 
combined,  sometimes  the  ocean  for  days  being  like  a 
small  inland  lake,  and  then  again  in  its  rage  tossing 
our  ship  about  as  though  she  were  a  mere  fishing 
skiff,  —  the  waves  often  making  a  clean  breach  over 
the  hull,  thoroughly  drenching  everything  and  every- 
body who  happened  to  be  on  deck. 

Persons  who  have  only  witnessed  a  storm  in  nar- 
row seas,  or  near  the  coast,  would  be  surprised  to 
realize  the  difference  in  the  waves  on  the  broad  Pa- 
cific. The  short,  chopping  sea  is  changed  into  long, 
heavy  swells,  covering  the  expanse  of  waters  with  vast 
parallels  separated  by  deep  valleys,  the  distance  from 
crest  to  crest  being  from  one  hundred  and  fifty  to 
two  hundred  feet,  when  a  heavy  gale  prevails.  The 
height  of  the  waves  is  measured  from  the  trough  to 
the  crest,  and  is  of  course  conjecture,  but  in  a  contin- 
uous storm  which  we  realized  on  board  the  Belgic 
was  certainly  some  thirty  feet.  One  aspect  was  to 
us  an  unsolved  problem  :  the  storm  being  on  our  star- 
board quarter  was  so  nearly  aft  as  to  give  us  some 
idea  of  the  velocity  of  the  waves,  which  was  clearly 
much  greater  than  that  of  the  ship's  progress,  and 
yet  they  increased  the  speed  of  the  Belgic  scarcely  at 
all.  That  is  to  say,  these  waves  exercised  little  if 
any  propelling  force,  but  seemed  to  pass  under  our 
keel,  causing  the  hull  to  pitch  and  roU  so  that  it  was 


INCIDENTS  OF  A   SEA    VOYAGE,  27 

quite  impossible  to  stand  without  holding  on  to  some 
substantial  fixture.  Old  George  yerbert,  in  his 
quaint  way,  advises  people  to  praise  the  sea,  but  to 
keep  on  dry  land. 

Life  on  shipboard,  as  has  been  intimated,  becomes 
a  little  trying  after  a  week  or  ten  days'  experience. 
Tedium  and  monotony  have  a  tendency  to  bring  out 
the  less  amiable  characteristics  of  passengers  who 
9,re  thus  crowded  together  under  peculiar  circum- 
stances. Even  the  most  equable  disposition  is  lia- 
ble sometimes  to  exhibit  weakness.  Where  there  are 
many  passengers  thorough  agreement  becomes  hardly 
possible.  Hasty  confidences  and  abrupt  prejudices 
are  both  the  outgrowth  of  such  enforced  association. 
Reading  is  a  great  and  intelligent  resort  at  sea,  but 
do  not  let  the  student  flatter  himself  that  he  will  find 
time  and  opportunity  for  study.  Sea-life  is  antago- 
nistic to  such  an  idea,  and  the  best  resolves  in  that 
direction  will  end  in  idleness  and  disappointment. 

The  crew,  the  waiters,  and  the  cooks  of  the  Belgic 
were  all  Chinamen,  and  it  must  be  admitted  that  in 
each  capacity  the  service  rendered  was  excellent.  It 
seems  to  be  generally  acknowledged  that  when  a 
Chinaman  knows  what  is  required  of  him,  he  will 
faithfully  perform  the  duty,  and,  entirely  unlike  most 
employees,  does  not  need  the  watchful  eye  of  a 
master  constantly  over  him.  The  ship  was  well  of- 
ficered by  Englishmen,  was  scrupulously  neat  and 
clean ;  there  was  no  loud  talk  or  reiterated  orders  in 
its  management ;  the  effective  arm  of  discipline  was 
felt  but  not  seen.  To  observe  the  Chinese  passengers 
was  a  source  of  some  amusement.  In  fine  weather 
they  crowded  the  forward  and  lower  deck  aft,  not  be- 
ing permitted  to  infringe  upon  the  cabin-passengers' 


28  DUE    WEST, 

deck.  They  squatted  in  picturesque  groups  round 
the  hatchways  much  of  the  time,  playing  cards  and 
dominoes  for  very  small  stakes  of  money.  John  is 
by  nature  a  gambler,  and  cannot  resist  its  fascination. 
The  dull  noxious  smell  that  permeated  their  quarters 
at  all  times,  in  spite  of  enforced  ventilation  and  the 
well-observed  rules  of  the  ship,  was  often  wafted  un- 
pleasantly towards  our  cabins  and  deck,  telling  a 
significant  story  of  the  opium-pipe,  and  a  certain  un- 
cleanliness  of  person  peculiar  to  Africans  and  Mon- 
golians. When  the  sea  became  rough  and  the  ship 
labored  with  the  storm,  a  visible  anxiety  was  de- 
picted on  the  Mongol  faces  as  they  gathered  in  groups 
and  gave  up  all  attempts  at  amusement.  On  such 
occasions  they  prepared  pieces  of  joss-paper,  bearing 
some  Chinese  characters,  and  cast  them  overboard  to 
appease  the  presumed  anger  of  the  special  gods  who 
control  the  sea. 

As  we  were  losing  one  hour  in  each  fifteen  degrees 
of  our  course,  or,  to  state  it  perhaps  more  clearly,  in 
each  thousand  miles  of  progress  westward,  when  half 
round  the  world  from  Greenwich  twelve  hours  would 
be  lost.  It  is  therefore  customary  to  drop  a  day  in 
mid-ocean,  which  we  did  on  crossing  the  hundred 
and  eightieth  degree  of  longitude  west  and  east  of 
Greenwich.  When  the  traveler  shall  have  reached 
Greenwich  again  on  this  course,  the  remaining  twelve 
hours  will  be  exhausted,  and  his  time  will  agree  with 
that  of  the  starting-point.  During  the  voyage  two  of 
the  Chinese  passengers  died,  and  were  embalmed  by 
the  surgeon  of  the  ship.  It  is  a  conviction  of  these 
people  that  their  soul  cannot  rest  in  peace  unless 
their  ashes  be  buried  in  their  native  land.  When  a 
Chinaman  dies  in  a  foreign  country,  sooner  or  later 


LANDING  AT  YOKOHAMA.  29 

his  remains  are  carried  home  for  interment.  If  only 
the  bones  are  left,  they  are  finally  dug  up  and  thus 
disposed  of  by  surviving  friends.  This  sort  of  cargo 
has  formed  no  small  source  of  profit  to  ships  sail- 
ing west  from  San  Francisco,  bones  and  bodies  being 
shipped  like  merchandise. 

As  we  crept  slowly  at  half  speed  into  the  harbor  of 
Yokohama,  among  the  merchant  shipping,  surrounded 
by  a  myriad  of  little  shore-boats,  steering  in  and  out 
through  the  Russian,  English,  and  Japanese  men-of- 
war,  the  twilight  was  gradually  approaching ;  and 
when  we  rounded  to,  three  hundred  yards  from  the 
shore,  under  the  lee  of  the  United  States  sloop-of-war 
Richmond  and  let  go  our  anchor,  she  fired  her  even- 
ing gun.  At  tlie  same  moment  her  band,  in  recogni- 
tion of  the  flag  that  floated  from  our  topmast  head,  as 
we  carried  the  American  mail,  poured  forth  the  strains 
of  the  "  Star-Spangled  Banner"  with  a  thrilling  spirit 
which  caused  a  quick  and  hearty  cheer  fore  and  aft 
the  Belgic.  Perhaps  it  is  necessary  for  one  to  be 
thousands  of  miles  from  home,  and  to  have  just  ar- 
rived in  a  foreign  port  from  a  long  sea  voyage,  to 
fully  appreciate  this  little  incident. 


CHAPTER  II. 

Landing  in  Japan.  —  Characteristic  Street  Scenes.  — Native  Bazars. 
—  Women  of  Yokohama.  —  Excursion  into  the  Country.  —  Visit 
to  Kamakura.  —  Peculiar  Scenes  on  the  Road.  —  A  Wonderful 
Bronze  Statue.  —  Popular  Religions  of  the  Country.  —  The  Hako- 
ne  Pass.  —  A  Youthful  Mother.  —  Native  Jugglers.  —  Temple  of 
Shiba.  —  Review  of  the  Soldiery.  —  Ludicrous  Sights.  — A  Native 
Fair  at  Tokio.  —  A  Poor  Japanese  Woman's  Prayer. 

Passengers  arriving  at  Yokohama  are  obliged  to 
land  in  small  boats,  as  there  are  no  wharfs  ;  and  ves- 
sels, on  account  of  shallow  water,  anchor  half  a  mile 
off  shore.  A  small  steam-tug  came  for  us,  and  we 
found  very  comfortable  quarters  at  the  Windsor  Ho- 
tel, kept  by  an  American,  —  a  large,  well-organized 
establishment.  The  housemaids  were  little  Japanese 
men  dressed  in  black  tights,  but  very  quick,  intelli- 
gent, and  desirous  to  please.  The  servants  all  spoke 
English ;  indeed  it  is  the  commercial  language  of  the 
world,  and  there  are  few  ports  open  to  commerce 
where  it  does  not  form  the  basis  of  all  business  trans- 
actions. French  is  the  polite  or  court  language  of 
many  countries,  and  with  these  two  tongues  at  com- 
mand, one  can  get  along  easily  in  nearly  any  popu- 
lous region  of  the  globe. 

When  Commodore  Perry,  in  1854,  cast  anchor 
with  his  little  fleet  of  American  men-of-war  in  the 
harbor  of  Yokohama,  it  was  scarcely  more  than  a 
fishing  village,  but  the  population  to-day  must  exceed 
a  hundred  and  thirty  thousand.  The  space  formerly 
covered  by  rice  fields  and  vegetable  gardens  is  now 


CHARACTERISTICS  OF  YOKOHAMA.  31 

laid  out  in  well-built,  wide  thoroughfares,  smoothly 
macadamized  and  faultlessly  clean  and  neat.  The 
town  extends  along  the  shore,  which  is  level,  but  is 
backed  by  a  half-moon  of  low,  well-wooded  hills, 
among  which  are  the  private  dwellings  of  the  foreign 
residents,  built  after  the  European  style,  on  the  loca- 
tion known  as  the  Bluff.  The  two  principal  hotels, 
the  club-houses,  and  some  consular  business  residences, 
are  located  on  the  water-front,  a  wide  thoroughfare 
known  as  the  Bund.  A  deep,  b<road  canal  surrounds 
the  city,  passing  by  the  large  warehouses  and  con- 
necting with  the  bay  at  each  end,  is  crossed  in  its 
course  by  half  a  dozen  handsome  bridges. 

Ascending  the  bluff  one  gets  a  fine  and  extended 
view,  embracing  the  city  on  one  side  and  Jeddo  Bay 
on  the  other,  with  a  foreground  composed  of  the  har- 
bor of  Yokohama,  where  more  or  less  shipping,  rep- 
resenting foreign  nations,  is  always  to  be  seen.  In 
the  distant  west,  over  seventy  miles  away,  the  white, 
cloud-like  cone  of  Fujiyama  can  be  clearly  discerned, 
while  close  at  hand  are  the  charming,  villa-like  resi- 
dences of  the  European  settlers.  Towards  Mississippi 
Bay,  as  it  is  called,  numerous  native  gardens  are  to 
be  seen,  with  cultivated  fields  of  millet,  cotton,  rice, 
and  buckwheat.  On  getting  nearer  to  them,  one 
discovers  sweet  potatoes,  egg-plants,  and  a  queer  veg- 
etable called  the  daicum,  of  which  great  use  is  made 
by  the  people.  It  resembles  an  elongated  turnip,  is 
about  as  large  round  as  one's  wrist,  and  milk  white. 
On  the  path  leading  round  the  base  of  the  bluff 
were  many  pretty  wild -flowers,  among  which  the 
blooming  trefoil  and  the  harebell  were  seen  inter- 
mingled with  a  large  and  handsome  species  of  daisy. 
The  starwort,  a  great  favorite  with  the  Japanese,  was 


S2  DUE  WEST, 

met  in  abundance.  It  will  be  remembered  that  this 
flower  forms  part  of  the  Mikado's  arms.  It  was  No- 
vember, but  the  winter  sleep  of  the  flowers  is  brief 
here,  and  there  are  said  to  be  no  days  in  the  year 
when  a  pretty  bouquet  may  not  be  gathered  in  the 
open  air.  Ferns  burst  forth  in  abundance  about  the 
bluff,  and  so  great  is  the  variety,  that  of  this  special 
plant,  one  is  constantly  tempted  to  form  a  collection. 
Here  and  there  among  the  undergrowth  were  patches 
of  soft,  pea-green  moss,  of  a  velvety  texture,  that  no 
cunning  gf  the  loom  can  equal. 

There  is  a  smart,  business-like  aspect  to  every- 
thing in  Yokohama ;  the  impression  upon  the  stranger 
is  that  he  is  in  a  wide-awake  community.  The  first 
business  of  a  traveler  upon  arriving  in  a  new  country 
is  not  to  look  up  its  history,  nor  to  study  its  geog- 
raphy or  political  economy.  He  should  be  at  least 
grounded  in  these  already ;  he  follows  his  natural  in- 
stincts, guided  by  curiosity,  shrewdly  watching  the 
out-door  life  about  him,  the  dress  of  the  people,  the 
architecture  of  the  houses,  modes  of  conveyance,  me- 
chanical operations,  the  fruits,  flowers,  and  shop-win- 
dows,  and  especially  the  manners  of  the  women,  their 
status  as  it  regards  treatment,  occupation,  -and  the 
respect  accorded  to  them.  Nothing  is  so  sure  a  key- 
note or  test  of  civilization  and  progress  as  this.  We 
do  not  look  to  see  women  receive,  even  in  Europe,  much 
less  in  the  East,  such  chivalric  deference  and  respect 
as  are  shown  to  them  in  America,  but  the  nearer  any 
people  imitate  us  in  this  respect,  the  more  advanced 
will  they  be  found  in  the  other  refined  amenities  of 
social  life. 

In  this  commercial  capital  of  Japan  everything 
struck  us  as  curious,  every  fresh  step  afforded  in. 


THE  HOMES   OF  JAPAN.  83 

creased  novelty,  every  new  siglit  was  a  revelation, 
while  all  about  us  were  tangible  representations  of 
the  impossible  pictures  of  the  cheap  fans,  the  lac- 
quered ware  of  commerce,  and  the  school  books.  The 
partial  nudity  of  men,  women,  and  children,  the  ex- 
tremely simple  architecture  of  the  dwelling-houses, 
the  vegetation,  the  extraordinary  salutations  between 
the  common  people  who  met  each  other  upon  the 
streets,  the  trading  booths  or  bazars,  and  the  queer, 
toy -like  articles  which  filled  them,  children  Hying 
kites  in  the  shape  of  hideous  yellow  monsters,  each 
subject  became  a  fresh  study.  Men  propelling  vehi- 
cles like  horses  between  the  shafts,  and  trotting  off  at 
a  six-mile  pony  gait  while  drawing  after  them  one  or 
two  persons  with  ease,  was  at  first  a  singular  aspect 
to  a  stranger.  So  were  the  naked  coolies,  by  fours, 
bearing  heavy  loads  of  merchandise  swung  from  their 
shoulders  upon  stout  bamboo  poles,  while  they 
shouted  a  measured  chant  by  which  to  keep  step.  No 
beggars  were  seen  on  the  public  streets,  the  people 
without  exception  seeming  neat  and  clean  in  their 
remarkably  scanty  covering. 

The  houses  were  special  examples  of  neatness  and 
of  toy-like  size,  being  seldom  more  than  twenty  feet 
square.  All  persons,  foreigners  or  natives,  took  off 
their  shoes  before  entering  upon  their  delicately-lac- 
quered or  polished  floors.  This  we  not  only  did  out 
of  respect  to  the  universal  custom  of  the  country, 
but  because  one  did  not  feel  like  treading  upon  those 
floors  with  nailed  heels  or  soiled  leather  soles.  The 
conviction  was  forced  upon  us  that  such  universal 
neatness  and  cleanliness  must  extend  even  to  the 
moral  character  of  the  people.  A  spirit  of  gentle- 
ness, industry,  and  thrift  was  observable  everywhere, 


34  DUE    WEST, 

imparting  an  Arcadian  atmosphere.  We  saw  at  first 
no  domestic  animals  except  a  tailless  cat,  with  an  at- 
tempt at  that  appendage,  which  was  a  decided  and 
ignominious  failure.  These  creatures  were  frequently- 
tied  to  the  house  door  like  a  dog,  but  for  what  pur- 
pose who  can  say  ?  A  cat  confined  after  that  fash- 
ion elsewhere  would  strangle  itself  directly.  Later 
on  we  saw  specimens  of  the  curious  lap-dogs  of  the 
country,  so  diminutive  as  to  be  quite  remarkable, 
and  which  were  highly  prized,  though  one  could  see 
no  beauty  or  attraction  in  their  snub  noses  and  big, 
bulging  eyes.  Great  care  is  taken  in  the  breeding 
of  these  oddities,  which  at  their  perfection  are  thor- 
oughly useless.  Some  dwarfing  process  is  employed, 
as  they  do  not  exceed  ten  inches  in  length  when  full 
grown. 

Cows'  milk  is  unknown  among  the  natives,  though 
the  universal  drink  is  tea  without  sugar,  and  by  no 
means  strong.  The  general  food  is  rice  and  vegeta- 
bles seasoned  with  dried  fish,  but  no  meats.  Some 
domestic  fowls  were  seen,  not  in  abundance,  and  the 
eggs  are  used  for  domestic  purposes.  Doubtless  the 
fowls  are  also  eaten,  but  the'  average  Japanese  is  sat- 
isfied with  rice  and  vegetables,  adding  the  inevitable 
cup  of  tea  three  or  four  times  a  day.  Women  carry 
their  children  lashed  to  their  backs  like  American 
Indians,  and  thus  encumbered  perform  field  labor  or 
domestic  work,  without  seen\ing  in  the  least  to  real- 
ize their  double  task.  The  elder  children  carry  the 
younger  ones  in  the  same  manner,  going  about  their 
play  with  a  load  on  their  backs  that  would  stagger  a 
Yankee  child.  This  we  found  to  be  a  universal  cus- 
tom both  in  town  and  country,  while  the  great  mul- 
tiplicity of  young  children  was  a  constant  subject  of 


JAPANESE   CUSTOMS.  35 

surprise.  The  married  women  shave  off  their  eye- 
brows and  blacken  their  teeth  as  evidences  of  wife- 
hood, the  effect  being  hideous,  which  indeed  is  the 
wife's  professed  object ;  and,  hke  the  ancient  Grecian 
ladies,  they  count  their  age  from  the  time  of  mar- 
riage, not  from  the  time  of  birth.  The  ideas  of  stran- 
gers as  to  the  proprieties  are  sometimes  severely  out- 
raged; but  habit  and  custom  make  law,  and  men  and 
women  bathe  promiscuously  in  the  public  baths,  — 
notwithstanding  which  there  is  a  spirit  of  delicacy 
and  good  breeding  among  them,  in  itself  a  species  of 
Christianity.  Windows  are  glazed  with  rice  paper  in 
place  of  glass,  and  the  light  is  really  but  little  im- 
peded, though  one  cannot  see  through  the  paper,  all 
of  which  circumstances  fix  themselves  on  the  memory. 
The  pictures  and  authorities  relative  to  Japanese 
life  which  one  has  accepted  as  authentic  have  not 
quite  prepared  the  traveler  for  the  facts  and  experi- 
ences which  crowd  upon  him,  when  among  this  very 
interesting  race.  The  actual  embodiment  of  the  peo- 
ple, their  manners  and  customs,  together  with  the 
local  surroundings,  are  all  so  different  from  the  pre- 
conceived ideal,  that  everything  comes  with  the  force 
of  a  surprise.  Figure,  physiognomy,  costume,  nu- 
dity, —  one  is  not  quite  prepared  for  anything  ;  all  is 
like  a  fresh  revelation.  Once  brought  face  to  face 
with  Japanese  life,  our  fabric  of  anticipation  tum- 
bles to  pieces  like  a  house  of  cards.  Everything  is 
unique.  There  is  no  criterion  for  comparison.  Noth- 
ing but  personal  observation  quite  reconciles  one 
with  the  manners  and  customs  of  a  race,  powerfully 
individualized  by  the  isolation  of  centuries.  The 
generally  accepted  idea  that  the  Japanese  resemble 
the  Chinese  in  their  lives  and  habits  is  entirely  erro- 


86  DUE   WEST. 

neous,  the  marked  differences  between  them  extend 
into  all  the  relations  of  life.  Especially  is  tliis  the 
case  as  to  courtesy  and  civility,  qualities  which  cost 
nothing,  but  which  buy  everything. 
'  A  visit  to  the  curiosity  bazars,  or  curio-shops,  as 
they  are  called,  is  one  of  the  first  excursions  of  the 
newly-arrived  tourist.  The  Japanese  have  quickly 
discovered  to  what  European  and  American  tastes 
run,  and  they  can  manufacture  antiquities  as  rapidly 
as  purchasers  can  be  found.  In  the  line  of  antique 
bronzes  they  especially  excel ;  and  as  to  old  china, 
from  four  to  five  centuries  of  age,  it  is  now  turned 
out  by  the  wheelbarrow  load  daily  at  Yokohama, 
from  half-a-dozen  establishments.  Of  course  there 
are  some  genuine  pieces,  though  rare,  and  the  prices 
charged  for  such  are  almost  prohibitory.  Well  made, 
substantial  lacquered  ware  takes  the  place  of  nearly 
all  other  for  domestic  utensils.  China  and  glass  are 
far  too  brittle  and  perishable  for  common  use  among 
the  people.  When  strangers  appear,  the  china  is 
produced,  and  the  universal  tea  served  in  it. 

There  are  two  streets  in  Yokohama  known  as 
Honcho-dori  and  Benten-dori,  where  the  stranger  will 
find  an  extensive  collection  of  bricabrac,  as  well  as 
other  fine  goods.  It  is  amusing  to  examine  the  old 
spears,  swords,  daggers,  bronzes,  and  astoundingly 
ugly  carved  idols.  There  are  stores  also  devoted  to 
lacquer,  china,  porcelain,  and  satsuma  ware,  not  an- 
cient, but  choice,  elegant  and  new  patterns,  far  more 
desirable  to  our  taste  than  the  cracked  and  awkward 
specimens  held  at  prices  equal  to  their  weight  in 
gold.  The  former  speak  for  themselves,  the  latter 
can  be  and  are  constantly  imitated.  The  reason  that 
so  many  swords  and  daggers  are  for  sale,  and  at  prices 


TRICKS  OF  TRADE,  37 

for  which  it  would  be  impossible  to  manufacture 
them,  is  because  the  army  has  discarded  the  native 
weapons  and  adopted  European  arms.  So  the  junk- 
dealers  and  curio-shops  have  the  former  supply  of  the 
army.  The  Japanese  sword  is  remarkably  well  tem- 
pered, and  will  cut  through  a  copper  penny  without 
turning  its  keen  edge,  this  being  the  usual  test  of  its 
quality.  In  these  streets  there  are  also  some  fine  silk 
and  lace  stores,  with  many  choice  articles  of  ladies' 
wear,  embracing  very  fine  specimens  of  native  silk 
industry.  The  Japanese  trader  has  got  the  trick  of 
asking  twice  as  much  as  he  is  willing  finally  to  take 
for  his  goods,  but  there  are  also  some  of  these  estab- 
lishments where  the  one  price  system  is  honestly 
observed.  As  a  rule,  however,  all  through  the  cities, 
the  price  at  first  asked  for  an  article  need  not  be 
taken  by  the  purchaser  as  any  real  criterion  of  its 
value.  Strangers  would  do  well  to  engage  the  ser- 
vices of  a  resident  whom  they  can  trust,  when  they 
go  upon  a  shopping  expedition ;  otherwise  the  result 
of  their  bargains  will  probably  be  anything  but  satis- 
factory, when  the  goods  are  received  at  home  and 
prices  considered.  All  buying  and  selling  in  the  East 
seems  to  be  a  sort  of  warfare,  where  each  party  en- 
deavors to  take  advantage  of  the  other.  In  China 
it  is  much  more  so  than  in  Japan.  Main  Street,  as 
the  name  indicates,  is  the  principal  thoroughfare, 
quite  Europeanized,  mostly  improved  for  stores  and 
offices,  and  containing  at  the  northwest  end  the 
town  hall,  telegraph  and  post  offices. 

A  ride  in  a  jinrikisha,  a  small  man-propelled  chaise, 
afforded  us  other  agreeable  surprises.  The  loveli- 
ness of  the  hills  and  valleys,  so  delicate  and  diminu- 
tive compared  with  our  late  Yosemite  experience, 


38  DUE   WEST. 

seemed  more  like  fairy  land  than  reality,  making  one 
crave  the  pencil  of  an  artist  to  depict  them.  In  little 
plots  adjoining  the  small,  frail  native  houses,  various 
cultivated  flowers  were  observed,  among  v^hich  chrys- 
anthemums and  occasionally  roses  were  to  be  seen  ; 
also  a  species  of  fuchsia,  bearing  a  bell-like  blue  and 
scarlet  flower.  The  foliage  of  the  trees,  and  espe- 
cially of  the  feathery  bamboo  groves,  was  very  beau- 
tiful, while  the  specimens  of  the  various  pines,  yews, 
and  arbor  vitae  were  many  of  them  odd  and  new  to 
us.  The  leaves  and  minor  branches  of  the  pines 
seemed  to  emulate  the  alphabetical  characters  of  the 
Japanese  language,  growing  up,  down,  and  inward, 
^  after  their  own  eccentric  will.  The  tea  fields,  mostly 
located  upon  side  hills  with  favorable  exposures,  were 
in  full  bloom,  looking  as  though  there  had  been  a 
fall  of  snow,  and  the  flakes  still  rested  on  the  delicate 
tips  and  branches.  Far  away  and  all  around  were 
yellow  rice  fields,  heavy  with  the  milk-white  grain, 
the  broad  acres  undulating  gracefully  beneath  the 
pressure  of  the  passing  breezes.  The  abundant  wild 
flowers  were  vivid  in  color  and  fantastic  in  shape, 
nearly  all  unknown  to  us,  save  now  and  then  an 
azalea,  an  iris,  or  some  single-leaved  representative 
of  the  rose  family. 

In  the  houses  which  we  entered  —  all  are  open; 
there  are  no  fastenings  upon  dwelling-houses  in  Ja- 
pan —  we  found  neither  chairs  nor  tables,  the  people 
all  sitting,  eating,  and  sleeping  upon  the  floors,  which 
were  as  neat  and  clean  as  a  newly-laid  table-cloth. 
The  humility  and  deference  of  all  classes  was  quite 
disconcerting,  for  when  we  entered  or  departed  from 
a  house,  the  host,  hostess,  and  children  bowed  their 
heads  until  their  foreheads  touched  the  floor.      Jap. 


THE   WOMEN  OF  JAPAN.  89 

anese  women,  both  in  features  and  general  appear- 
ance, are  far  from  prepossessing,  but  we  were  told 
there  were  marked  exceptions  among  the  people  of 
rank.  The  exclusiveness  and  debased  condition  of 
the  sex  produces  a  shyness  and  diffidence  very  prej- 
udicial to  their  appreciation  by  strangers.  The  eyes 
of  the  women,  though  elongated,  are  not  nearly  so 
much  so  as  those  of  the  Chinese,  the  features  being 
more  open  in  expression,  and  devoid  of  a  certain  cun- 
ning almost  always  observable  in  the  face  of  a  Chi- 
nese woman. 

Japanese  women  give  the  greatest  attention  to 
dressing  their  ebon-black  hair.  None  are  so  poor  or 
humble  as  to  forget  this  inexpensive  ornamentation. 
Nature  has  endowed  them  with  a  profusion  of  cover- 
ing for  the  head,  and  they  wear  no  other.  It  is  not 
very  fine,  to  be  sure,  but  always  black  as  ink,  long 
and  heavy,  and  when  arranged  in  their  peculiar  style, 
with  broad-spread  puffs,  like  old-fashioned  bow-knots, 
it  forms  a  very  striking  exhibition  of  head-gear,  shin- 
ing with  oil  and  sparkling  with  flashy  hair-pins. 
When  once  disposed  to  the  wearer's  satisfaction,  the 
hair  is  not  disturbed  for  several  days,  and  is  almost 
the  only  evidence  of  personal  vanity  which  they  ex- 
hibit, as  they  wear  no  other  ornaments  in  the  form 
of  jewelry.  The  pillow  of  which  they  make  use  at 
night,  when  sleeping,  is  calculated  to  preserve  the 
well-greased  and  plastered  tresses  in  good  order,  being 
nothing  more  nor  less  than  a  curved  piece  of  wood 
upon  which  the  neck  rests  rather  than  the  head,  and 
frightfully  suggestive  of  an  execution  block. 

Here  and  there,  upon  the  roadside,  shrines  and 
holy  niches  were  often  observed,  approached  gen- 
erally by  a  flight  of  stone  steps,  on  a  hill-side,  looking 


4:0  DUE   WEST. 

yery  old  and  moss-grown.  Upon  these  were  placed 
consecrated  idols,  or  religious  emblems  of  peculiar 
character,  calculated  in  our  uninitiated  eyes  to  pro- 
voke mirth  rather  than  reverence.  The  principal 
object  was  usually  a  sitting  figure  in  stone,  wood,  or 
metal,  gilded,  and  more  remarkable  for  contortion  of 
features,  multiplicity  of  arms,  and  obesity  of  body, 
than  for  any  other  characteristic,  visible  or  symbol- 
ical. Fertility  of  soil  was  manifest  everywhere,  each 
square  foot  of  earth  bearing  its  tribute  of  rice,  millet, 
or  vegetables,  the  rice  crop  predominating.  The  fer- 
tilizing process  is  strictly  observed  and  appreciated 
here,  being  the  enrichment  of  the  soil  almost  univer- 
sally applied  in  liquid  form. 

A  trip  to  Kamakura,  fifteen  or  eighteen  miles  from 
Yokohama,  and  near  where  is  located  the  wonderful 
statue  of  Dai-Butsu,  was  one  affording  much  satisfac- 
tion. We  traveled  by  jinrikishas,  the  men  drawing 
us  thither,  one  passenger  in  each  vehicle,  in  three 
hours  and  a  half,  and  back  again  towards  night  in  the 
same  length  of  time.  The  road  is  mostly  located 
along  the  sea-coast,  or  rather  in  sight  of  it,  so  that  in 
many  places  the  ocean  comes  in  to  give  additional 
interest  and  beauty  to  the  scenery  of  green  valleys, 
well- wooded  hills,  and  richly  tilled  land,  Fujiyama, 
the  one  volcanic  mountain  of  Japan,  nearly  always  in 
sight.  Rarely  is  such  rich  and  varied  vegetation  to 
be  seen,  combined  with  beautiful  outlines  of  hill-side 
and  mountain  top,  here  covered  with  an  infinite  va- 
riety of  firs.  The  ancient  town  of  Kamakura  was 
once  the  political  capital  of  the  country,  but  is  now 
composed  of  only  a  few  straggling  tea-houses  or  small 
inns,  and  half  a  dozen  native  dwellings.  Here  is  the 
famous    and   deeply   interesting   Shinto  temple   of 


JAPANESE  SUPERSTITION,  41 

Hachiman,  one  of  the  deified  heroes  of  Japan.  Some 
of  the  trees  which  cluster  about  it  are  a  thousand 
years  old  ;  while  within  the  structure  are  historical 
emblems,  rich,  rare,  and  equally  old;  composed  of  war- 
like implements,  sovereign's  gifts,  ecclesiastical  relics, 
bronzes  of  priceless  value,  and  the  like.  Time  con- 
secrates ;  and  what  is  gray  with  age  becomes  relig- 
ious, says  Schiller.  The  temple  is  built  upon  a  lofty 
plateau,  reached  by  climbing  many  broad  stone  steps, 
slippery,  moss-grown,  and  of  centuries  in  age.  Here 
was  pointed  out  a  fine,  lofty  specimen  of  the  umbrella 
tree,  of  the  pine  family,  with  broad  leaves  of  a  deep 
green.  The  general  form  was  conical,  with  branches 
and  leaves  so  dense  as  to  hide  the  stem. 

Less  than  two  miles  from  this  temple  is  situated 
the  great  Buddha  image,  composed  of  gold,  silver, 
and  copper,  forming  a  bronze  figure  of  great  size, 
nearly  sixty  feet  in  height,  within  which  a  hundred 
persons  may  stand  together,  the  interior  being  fitted 
as  a  small  chapel.  A  vast  number  of  little  scraps  of 
paper,  bearing  Japanese  characters,  fluttered  from 
the  interior  walls  of  the  image,  plastered  there  by 
pious  pilgrims  as  prayers  to  the  presiding  deity.  As 
the  door  was  opened  for  us  to  enter  and  was  closed 
again,  these  scraps  rustled  in  the  agitated  atmosphere 
like  an  army  of  white  bats,  producing  a  puzzling  ef- 
fect until  our  eyes  became  accustomed  to  the  dim 
light,  and  the  cause  was  apparent. 

This  famous  and  sacred  figure  is  certainly  as  re- 
markable as  the  Sphinx,  which  so  gloomily  presides 
over  the  sandy  desert  lying  at  the  feet  of  the  great 
Pyramids.  As  a  work  of  art,  perhaps  its  only  merit 
consists  in  the  calm  dignity  of  expression  and  repose 
of  features  which  are  so  colossal.     It  is  many  centu- 


42  t>UB  WEST. 

ries  old, — certainly  six  hundred  years ;  and  how  such 
an  enormous  amount  of  bronze  metal  was  ever  cast, 
or  how  set  up  in  such  perfect  shape  when  finished,  no 
one  can  say.  We  are  told  that  it  was  formerly  cov- 
ered by  a  temple,  long  since  mouldered  to  dust ;  but 
it  is  certainly  none  the  less  effective  and  impressive, 
as  it  now  sits  surrounded  by  the  natural  scenery  and 
the  thick  woods.  Were  not  the  groves  God's  first 
temples  ?  Guide-books  have  not  yet  invaded  the  far 
East,  or  we  should  be  told  how  many  square  inches 
of  bronze  is  contained  in  the  Dai-Butsu  figure,  and 
how  many  ounces  it  weighs ;  statistics  concerning 
which  we  felt  a  most  sublime  indifference,  while  we 
gazed  upon  its  combined  and  wonderful  effect. 

The  glorious  old  temple  of  Hachiman,  already 
spoken  of,  is  a  sort  of  Japanese  Mecca  for  pilgrims 
from  all  parts  of  the  country ;  though  when  we  were 
there,  wandering  among  its  lofty  and  sacred  groves, 
wending  our  way  over  its  well-worn  stone  steps  and 
causeways,  by  its  lotus-ponds  and  heavy-eaved  shrines, 
there  were  no  other  visitors.  A  strangely  solemn 
silence  impressed  us,  until  our  very  voices  seemed  to 
be  echoed  back  with  a  mysterious  significance.  The 
shaded  and  pleasant  paths  are  kept  in  perfect  order, 
swept  clear  of  eveiy  falling  leaf  or  broken  twig, 
showing  that  care  and  a  sense  of  responsibility  is 
not  wanting.  Although  these  temples  are  built  of 
wood,  so  carefully  have  they  been  kept,  they  appear 
as  fresh  and  bright  to-day  as  though  a  single  dec- 
ade only  had  passed  since  they  were  finished,  in- 
stead of  a  thousand  years.  A  large  body  of  priests 
reside  upon  the  spot,  and  are  in  constant  attendance, 
supported  by  the  offerings  of  the  semi-annual  pil- 
grims who  come  from  the  south  in  large  bodies,  as 


RELIGION  IN  JAPAN,  •  43 

well  as  by  the  contributions  of  devout  visitors  from 
neighboring  cities. 

It  is  well  to  mention  in  this  connection  that  the 
prevailing  religions  of  Japan  are  Shinto  and  Bud- 
dhism, each,  however,  being  sub-divided  into  many 
sects.  The  Shinto  may  be  said  to  be  indigenous  to  the 
country,  and  is  also  the  official  religion,  being  largely 
a  form  of  hero  worship ;  successful  warriors  are  can- 
onized as  martyrs  are  in  the  Roman  Catholic  church. 
The  Buddhist  faith  is  borrowed  from  the  Chinese, 
and  was  introduced  about  the  sixth  century.  There 
may  be  any  diversity  of  creeds  among  a  people,  ex- 
tending even  to  idolatry.  Creeds  never  came  from 
heaven,  but  morality  is  the  same  in  Christian  or  hea- 
then lands,  because  it  is  of  God.  It  is  singular  that 
two  nations  located  so  near  to  each  other,  both  of 
Asiatic  race,  and  with  so  many  important  features 
in  common,  should  have  for  two  thousand  years  main- 
tained a  policy  of  entire  isolation  towards  each  other, 
though  they  are  now  good  friends  as  well  as  neigh- 
bors. This  is  more  remarkable  when  we  remember 
that  a  thousand  years  before  the  Japanese  borrowed 
from  China  their  written  characters,  religion,  and 
philosophy.  As  to  the  language  of  Japan,  it  is  com- 
posed, as  popularly  written,  of  the  Chinese  and  Jap- 
anese combined,  —  the  fifty  Chinese  characters  being 
so  intimately  interwoven  with  the  original  Japanese 
as  to  form  a  medley  of  the  two.  Modern  authors 
freely  use  both  in  the  same  sentences,  and  indeed  the 
characters  of  both  languages  often  appear  in  the  same 
line. 

It  is  rather  deductions  than  detail  which  we  pro- 
pose to  record  in  these  pages,  and  though  many  ex- 
cursions were  made,  a  minute  description  of  them 


44  DUE   WEST. 

would  prove  tedious.  Places  were  pointed  out  to  us 
here  and  there,  where  large  and  populous  cities  once 
stood  in  eligible  spots,  but  where  no  ruins  marked 
the  place.  A  dead  and  buried  city  in  Europe,  or 
even  in  India,  leaves  rude  but  almost  indestructible 
remains  to  mark  where  great  communities  once  built 
temples  and  monuments,  and  lived  and  thrived,  like 
those  examples  of  mutability,  Memphis,  Paestum, 
Cumae,  or  Delhi,  but  not  so  in  Japan.  At  first  it 
seemed  strange  that  a  locality  where  half  a  million  of 
people  had  made  their  homes  within  the  period  of  a 
century  should  now  present  the  aspect  only  of  fertile 
fields  of  grain.  But  when  it  is  remembered  of  what 
ephemeral  material  the  natives  build  their  dwellings, 
namely,  of  light,  thin  wood  and  paper,  utter  disap- 
pearance ceases  to  be  a  surprise.  It  is  a  curious  fact 
that  this  people,  contemporary  with  Greece  and 
Rome  at  their  zenith,  who  have  only  reared  cities  of 
wood  and  temples  of  lacquer,  have  outlived  the  clas- 
sic nations  whose  half -ruined  monuments  are  our 
choicest  models.  The  Hellenic  and  Latin  races  have 
passed  away,  but  Japan  still  remains  without  a  dy- 
nastic change  and  with  an  inviolate  country. 

One  of  our  excursions  carried  us  to  the  Hakone 
Pass.  Miyanoshita  is  a  little  hamlet,  lost  as  it  were 
among  the  hills,  yet  famous  for  its  beautiful  scenery 
and  natural  hot-baths,  accessible  only  by  a  difficult 
mountain-pass  which,  having  become  belated,  we  as- 
cended by  torch-light.  It  proved  to  be  quite  a  climb, 
especially  under  the  adverse  circumstances  of  a  heavy 
rain,  which  impeded  the  narrow  path  with  miniature 
torrents  ;  but  with  the  advent  of  a  clear,  bright  morn- 
ing which  followed,  we  looked  back  upon  the  long, 
laborious,  and  even  painful  struggle  up  the  steep  and 


MIYANOSHITA,  45 

narrow  defile,  as  a  mere  episode  to  heighten  after  en- 
joyment, and  so  it  seems  now  in  the  memory.  Happy 
the  provision  of  nature  which  leads  us  to  recall  more 
vividly  the  sunshine  than  the  shadows  of  our  expe- 
rience ! 

Miyanoshita  is  a  very  lovely  spot,  a  picture  of  com- 
plete isolation  and  repose.  Here  a  good  hotel,  al- 
most American  in  its  excellence  and  comfort,  is  to  be 
found,  replete  with  cleanliness,  and  surrounded  by 
ornamental  grounds  after  the  Japanese  style.  There 
were  rockeries,  over  which  tumbled  mountain  rivu- 
lets ;  ponds  with  gigantic  gold  and  silver  fish,  which 
seemed  to  be  always  hungry  and  inclined  to  breed 
a  famine  by  eating  any  amount  of  bread ;  pretty 
miniature  bridges  spanned  water-ways  and  formed 
foot-paths  about  the  grounds.  There  were  novel 
flowering  plants,  and  some  remarkable  specimens  of 
dwarf  trees,  over  which  the  natives  expend  endless 
care  and  labor,  together  with  examples  of  curious 
variegated  leaves,  one  of  which  had  zigzag  golden 
stripes  upon  a  dark  green  base.  This  hotel  among 
the  mountains  was  two  stories  high,  an  unusual  thing 
for  a  Japanese  house ;  but  it  had  only  rice-paper  win- 
dows, and  thin  sliding  panels  in  place  of  doors  or 
partitions.  If  desired,  a  whole  story  could  be  thrown 
into  one  apartment,  or  subdivided  at  pleasure  into 
cozy  little  sleeping-rooms.  All  material,  all  food,  was 
brought  hither  up  that  pitiless  path  on  the  backs  of 
mountaineers.  People  who  do  not  feel  able,  or  who 
are  not  inclined  to  go  up  the  pass  on  foot,  are  car- 
ried up  in  kagos,  as  was  the  case  with  two  of  our 
little  party.  The  kago  is  a  sort  of  palanquin  borne 
on  the  shoulders  of  four  stout  men,  the  path  being 
impracticable  even  for  mules ;  but  were  it  less  steep 
and  wider,  the  Japanese  have  no  mules. 


4:6  DUE   WEST. 

When  we  came  down  that  five-mile  reach  by  day- 
light, we  saw  and  realized  all  the  beauties  which  had 
been  hidden  from  us  under  the  inky  cloak  of  night 
during  the  toiling  ascent.  The  scenery  was  lovely, 
sometimes  grand,  often  fantastic;  and  for  the  first 
time  we  heard  the  clear  ringing  notes  of  the  lit- 
tle Japanese  nightingale.  Watching  the  exquisitely 
feathered  bamboos  in  green  clusters,  camellias  on  trees 
thirty  feet  high,  the  tall,  slim,  but  graceful  pines,  the 
rocks  fringed  with  lichens  and  mosses,  mingled  with 
the  rarest  of  ferns,  fresh  and  bright  after  the  rain, 
kept  the  eye  busy  with  delight.  Now  and  then  we 
gathered  the  delicate  maiden-hair  ferns  for  a  back- 
ing, and  made  bouquets  from  the  white,  blue,  and 
pink  wild  flowers  that  bloomed  by  the  wayside. 
They  were  not  fragrant,  though  among  them  were 
blue-eyed  violets,  but  they  were  beautiful  as  they 
were  frail.  Deep  gorges  lined  the  way,  here  and 
there  relieved  by  sunny  slopes  of  soft,  bright  green ; 
while  the  music  of  a  tumbling  cascade,  hidden  by 
the  dense  wood,  occasionally  fell  upon  the  ear.  The 
sweet  morning  air  was  both  a  physical  and  mental 
tonic.  All  was  so  enjoyable,  so  inspiring,  that  the 
ladies  broke  forth  in  carols  like  the  very  birds  among 
the  branches. 

After  reaching  the  foot  of  the  mountain  we  found 
our  jinrikisha  men,  each  with  his  little  chaise,  ready 
to  trot  off  for  Yokohama,  about  thirty-five  miles  dis- 
tant. Along  the  road,  as  we  progressed,  evidences 
met  the  eye  of  fine  agricultural  results  ;  the  fields 
and  meadows  were  cultivated  to  the  highest  point,  en- 
tirely by  hand.  No  plows  are  used ;  every  foot  of 
the  soil  is  spaded  by  men  and  women.  We  were 
told  that  it  was  rather  late  in  the  season  for  the  cot- 


A    YOUTHFUL  MOTHER.  47 

ton  to  remain  unhar vested,  but  the  thrifty  fields 
showed  us  an  abundant  crop  of  the  yellow-white 
vegetable  fleece,  in  little  balls  like  Marshal  Niel  roses. 
The  absence  of  domestic  cattle  was  conspicuous.  A 
few  cows  and  sheep,  browsing  here  and  there,  would 
have  completed  a  delightful  picture  of  rural  life. 
Occasionally,  when  the  men  stopped  at  a  wayside 
tea-house  for  a  cup  of  their  simple  beverage,  the  only 
stimulant  or  refreshment  they  desired,  we  walked  on 
in  advance  of  them,  observing  the  snowy  head  of 
Fujiyama,  the  pride  of  Japan,  and  which  every  na- 
tive artist  is  sure  to  introduce  into  his  pictures,  no 
matter  where  located. 

As  we  passed  near  a  humble  cottage,  a  youthful 
Another  was  observed  at  play  with  her  little  nude, 
brown  baby.  It  lay  upon  its  back  on  the  green 
sward  with  wild  flowers  clutched  in  either  tiny  fist, 
itself  only  a  blossom  of  humanity,  crowing  and  laugh- 
ing at  its  mother's  pranks,  as  she  kneeled  over  it. 
It  was  difficult  to  say  which  exhibited  the  more 
pleasure  in  the  occupation.  The  Japanese  become 
mothers  frequently  at  fourteen,  and  here  was  one 
who  was  certainly  no  older,  as  brown  and  nearly 
as  naked  as  her  baby.  We  had  surprised  her  at 
this  maternal  game,  and  she  rose  to  her  feet  fold- 
ing her  hands  before  her,  while  looking  half  abashed 
at  the  passing  strangers.     It  was  a  pretty  tableau. 

As  we  dashed  over  the  smooth  road  at  a  lively 
pace  the  glowing  sunset  painted  scarlet  the  white 
turbaned  head  of  the  distant  mountain,  while  it 
bronzed  and  gilded  the  clouds  in  the  west.  Opal 
fires  burned  all  over  the  sky,  as  the  twilight  threw 
its  amber  hues  about  us,  and  presently  the  men 
halted,  each  taking  out  a  funny  little  painted  paper 


48  DUE   WEST, 

lantern  from  under  the  seat,  and  lighted  a  eandle 
inside  of  it,  which  they  hung  on  the  end  of  the  shafts. 
We  went  on  then  along  the  narrow  way  in  a  pro- 
cession of  six  jinrikishas,  the  men  on  the  full  jump ; 
for  the  approaching  lights  of  the  city  inspired  them 
to  extra  exertion,  and  they  shouted  cries  of  encour- 
agement and  emulation  to  each  other,  and  pressed 
forward  with  increased  speed.  Altogether  it  was  a 
very  characteristic  scene,  as  we  rolled  into  Yoko- 
hama at  a  mad  gallop  that  night,  returning  from 
the  Hakone  Pass. 

As  a  rule,  one  has  little  patience  with  the  foreign 
jugglers  who  annoy  and  importune  travelers  to  wit- 
ness performances  of  snake-charming,  sleight  of  hand, 
and  deceptive  tricks  generally,  to  the  sound  of  a  fife- 
and  drum,  but  we  witnessed  one  exhibition  at  Yo- 
kohama in  the  open  air,  which  was  remarkable,  not 
for  any  mystery  about  it,  but  as  showing  to  what 
degree  of  adroitness  and  skill  the  human  hands  may 
be  trained  by  patient  practice.  The  performer  was 
a  middle-aged  man  who  had  just  closed  a  series  of 
the  stereotyped  tricks  before  the  British  Consulate. 
It  was  a  new  exhibition  to  us,  though  one  that  is 
well  known,  and  which  we  saw  indifferently  imitated 
afterwards  in  China.  As  has  been  said  it  was  out- 
of-doors,  but  the  air  was  perfectly  still.  The  per- 
former took  a  sheet  of  thin  white  paper,  and  tearing 
it  so  as  to  obtain  two  small  square  bits,  each  an  inch 
and  a  half  in  size,  he  rapidly  twisted  them  so  as  to 
rudely  represent  butterflies,  and  tossed  them  into  the 
air.  Instantly  drawing  a  fan  from  his  girdle  and 
spreading  it,  he  kept  them  suspended  by  its  action  in 
so  remarkable  a  manner  that  it  seemed  as  though 
they  must  possess  individual  vitality.    They  were  not 


TOKIO.  49 

permitted  to  separate  any  great  distance  from  each 
other,  but  the  delicate  force  of  the  fan  was  so  scien- 
tifically applied  as  to  guide  them  sometimes  from, 
and  sometimes  towards  each  other,  now  fluttering 
aloft  as  though  pursuing  some  object;,  then  turning 
together  as  in  a  loving  embrace,  and  again  separat- 
ing, so  that  it  was  a  marvel  how  the  same  hand  could 
impart  the  dual  motion.  Presently  they  were  made 
to  light  upon  an  object  close  at  hand,  the  arm  of  one 
of  the  group  of  spectators,  then  dexterously  to  rise 
again.  But,  most  difl&cult  of  all,  they  would  rest  for 
an  instant  on  the  tip  of  the  fan  itself,  until  promptly 
aided  by  the  performer's  breath,  the  bits  of  paper 
were  again  launched  into  the  air  to  go  on  with  their 
gyrations.  The  adroit  performer  never  for  one  mo- 
ment took  his  eyes  off  the  artificial  insects :  it  would 
have  broken  the  charm  at  once.  In  using  the  fan, 
the  juggler  seemed  scarcely  to  exert  the  muscles  of 
the  arm  at  all.  The  effort  came  from  the  wrist,  as 
an  adroit  swordsman  handles  his  weapon.  Years  of 
patient  practice  must  have  been  required  to  enable 
that  man  to  impart  vitality  to  bits  of  paper  in  such 
an  extraordinary  manner. 

Tokio,  the  political  capital  of  Japan,  is  situated 
about  twenty  miles  from  Yokohama,  and  November 
3d,  being  the  Mikado's  birthday,  we  went  thither  to 
see  him  review  the  local  troops.  A  large  field  near 
the  citadel  was  chosen  for  the  display,  and  all  Tokio 
turned  out  to  witness  it,  forming  about  as  conglom- 
erate a  mass  of  humanity  as  can  be  conceived  of ; 
brilliant  in  its  array  of  brightly  dressed  and  painted 
women,  not  ladies,  for  Tokio,  like  Paris,  has  its  demi- 
monde. The  number  of  babies  present  was  amazing. 
There  were  young  mothers  with  their  infants  strapped 


60  DUE   WEST. 

to  their  backs,  and  old  women  with  their  grand- 
children fastened  to  theirs.  Each  young  boy  and 
girl  of  nine  or  ten  years  had  a  baby  brother  or  sister 
secured  to  his  or  her  back,  and  there  were  men  with 
babies  in  their  arms,  though  this  is  unusual  in  Japan. 
The  infantry  among  the  spectators  outnumbered  the 
infantry  in  the  field.  No  matter  where  one  goes, 
on  the  coast  or  inland,  the  extraordinary  number  of 
young  children  forms  a  marked  feature. 

There  were  about  five  thousand  men  in  line,  repre- 
senting the  several  arms  of  the  service,  all  dressed  in 
European  costume,  and  mostly  officered  by  foreigners. 
The  Mikado  reviewed  the  troops  on  horseback  in  due 
form,  and  made  a  very  good  appearance  accompanied 
by  a  well-appointed  suite.  The  military  display,  be- 
ing conducted  upon  imported  ideas,  was  very  like 
such  a  ceremony  in  America,  save  that  the  cavalry 
was  small  in  numbers,  riding  upon  the  merest  carica- 
tures of  horses,  —  ponies  about  the  size  of  Newfound- 
land dogs  ;  but  what  they  lacked  in  size  they  made  up 
in  viciousness,  so  that  it  was  about  all  the  gallant  cav- 
alry could  do  to  keep  in  their  saddles.  Indeed,  many 
of  them  came  to  grief,  spread  out  like  galvanized  bull- 
frogs upon  the  greensward,  while  their  horses  scam- 
pered off  the  field. 

Tokio  must  contain  over  half  a  million  of  people. 
There  is  said  to  be  over  a  million,  but  this  may  be 
doubted,  though  geographically  it  covers  more  ground 
than  London.  It  is  well  laid  out,  with  broad  streets 
and  good  roads,  and  has  a  thorough  police  arrange- 
ment, having  adopted  numerous  European  and  Amer- 
ican ideas.  The  city  is  intersected  by  many  canals 
and  river  courses,  one  bridge  especially  attracting  our 
attention,  the  Bridge  of  Japan,  which  is  to  this  conn- 


THE  TEMPLE  OF  SHIBA.  61 

try  what  the  golden  mile-stone  was  in  the  Forum  at 
Rome :  all  distances  throughout  the  empire  are  meas- 
ured from  it.  The  review  having  taken  place  in  the 
early  morning,  we  had  a  large  portion  of  the  day  to 
visit  places  of  interest  in  the  town.  Among  these 
was  the  renowned  temple  of  Shiba,  which  is  over  six 
centuries  in  age,  composed  of  numerous  kiosk-like 
buildings,  looking  more  like  immense  lacquered  jewel 
cases  than  anything  else.  There  are  many  broad 
walks  and  courts,  and  stone  pillars  for  lanterns,  lofty 
trees  and  sacred  tombs,  for  here  lie  buried  most  of 
the  by-gone  Tycoons.  The  temple  portion  of  this 
vast  space  contains  a  great  amount  of  gold,  silver, 
bronze,  and  carved  articles,  the  intrinsic  value  of 
which  aggregates  millions  of  dollars.  Where  could 
such  an  accumulation  of  wealth  come  from  ?  History 
knows  nothing  of  the  importation  of  the  precious 
metals,  though  it  is  true  they  are  found  in  more  or 
less  abundance  all  over  the  country.  Copper  of  the 
best  and  purest  quality  is  a  native  product,  the  ex- 
portation of  which  is  prohibited,  and  mining  for  the 
precious  metals  is  carried  on  to  but  a  very  limited 
extent.  The  temple  of  Shiba  is  located  near  the 
centre  of  the  population,  occupying  many  acres  of 
ground,  walled  in  and  shaded  by  a  thick  gi-owth  of 
trees,  whose  branches  are  black  with  thousands  of 
undisturbed  rooks  and  pigeons.  The  principal  char- 
acteristic of  the  architecture  is  its  boldness  of  relief, 
overhanging  roofs,  heavy  brackets  and  carvings.  The 
doors  are  of  bronze,  in  bas-relief. 

After  visiting  the  temple  of  Shiba  we  took  jinriki- 
shas  to  that  section  of  the  suburbs  known  as  Atago- 
Yama,  a  hill  from  which  we  were  promised  a  fine  view 
of  the  city.     Here  a  steep  flight  of  a  hundred  stone 


62  DUE    WEST, 

steps  were  ascended,  which  led  to  the  summit,  where 
were  found  some  tea -booths,  tended  by  fancifully 
dressed  Japanese  girls,  and  a  small  temple  with  sa- 
cred birds  and  horses.  The  temple  required  a  strong 
effort  of  the  imagination  to  invest  it  with  the  least 
interest,  but  the  view  from  this  point  was  fine.  A 
couple  of  miles  southeasterly  was  the  broad,  glisten- 
ing Bay  of  Tokio,  and  round  the  other  points  of  the 
compass  was  the  imperial  city  itself,  covering  a  plain 
of  some  eight  miles  square,  divided  by  water-ways, 
bridges,  and  clumps  of  graceful  trees,  looming  con- 
spicuously above  the  low  dwellings.  The  whole  was 
as  level  as  a  checker-board,  but  yet  there  was  relief 
to  the  picture  in  the  fine  open  gardens,  the  high, 
peaked  gable  roofs  of  the  temples,  and  the  broad, 
white  roadways. 

At  a  subsequent  visit  to  the  city  we  attended  a 
fair  held  in  the  grounds  surrounding  one  of  the  many 
temples  of  Tokio,  giving  it  a  half-secular,  half-relig- 
ious character;  but  the  whole  exhibition,  as  to  any 
coherent  purpose,  was  quite  incomprehensible  to  a  for- 
eigner. Enormous  paper  lanterns  covered  with  blue 
and  yellow  dragons,  and  other  impossible  creatures, 
with  small  bodies  and  big  heads,  hung  over  the 
grounds  in  all  directions.  We  were  told  that  these 
would  be  lighted  at  night,  and  glaring  fire  would  be 
seen  coming  out  of  the  eyes  of  these  dragons  !  The 
temple  was  gaudily  decorated  for  the  occasion  with 
bold  and  vulgar  caricatures,  mingled  most  incongru- 
ously, the  sacred  with  the  profane.  The  priests  were 
propitiating  the  idols  inside  the  temple  with  drums, 
fifes,  and  horns,  while  the  pleasure  and  trading  booths 
were  doing  a  thriving  business  outside.  The  confu- 
sion was  very  great  ail  over  the  crowded  inclosure. 


SIGHTS  AT  THE  FAIR,  53 

Old  and  young  men  were  flying  kites,  some  were 
shooting  at  a  mark  with  bows  and  arrows,  and  some 
were  beating  tom-toms  vigorously. 

There  was  a  show  of  wax  figures  in  one  of  the 
booths,  illustrating  a  terrible  murder,  and  another  of 
figures  constructed  of  flowers,  similar  to  immortelles. 
These  last  were  certainly  curious,  and  with  swords 
and  spears  placed  in  their  hands  were  supposed  to 
represent  warriors  of  the  bravest  type.  Japanese  art 
has  much  of  the  Chinese  element  in  it,  and  is  apt  to 
culminate  in  dragons  with  half  human  countenances. 
There  were  a  number  of  these  graceful  beings  in  the 
show.  There  were  also  in  closures  where  dwarf  trees 
in  pots  were  exhibited,  some  actually  bearing  natural 
sized  fruit,  like  a  baby  with  a  man's  hat  on  its  head ; 
beside  these  were  singular  specimens  of  blooming 
plants.  In  another  inclosure  were  strange  birds: 
green  pigeons,  Chinese  pheasants,  and  parrots  that 
looked  artificially  painted,  so  very  odd  was  their 
plumage.  There  were  cakes,  candy,  and  fruit  for 
sale,  and  men,  women,  and  children  devouring  them. 

In  another  department  near  at  hand,  there  was  ex- 
hibited china  ware  and  Japanese  toys  and  curiosities, 
and  our  party  "  invested."  The  guide  could  not 
make  us  understand  what  all  this  meant,  but  it  was 
a  '*  fair,"  that  was  plain  enough,  and  he  gave  it  the 
English  name.  The  natives  were  very  much  in  ear- 
nest, and  worked  hard  to  achieve  a  good  time.  At 
such  an  exhibition  and  miscellaneous  out-door  gath- 
ering nearly  anywhere  else  there  would  have  been 
sure  to  be  many  individuals  present  more  or  less 
under  the  influence  of  spirituous  liquors,  and  a  squad 
of  policemen  would  naturally  be  in  attendance. 
Here  there  was  not  the  least  evidence  of  inebriety 


54  DUE   WEST, 

or  of  quarrelsomeness,  and  certainly  no  police  were 
present.  There  was  a  child-like  satisfaction  depicted 
on  the  faces  of  the  crowd,  showing  that  the  people 
were  very  easily  controlled  and  amused. 

As  we  stood  watching  this  gay  and  singular  scene, 
a  sad-faced  Japanese  woman,  of  a  youthful  figure, 
passed  up  to  the  temple,  without  heeding  any  one 
of  the  crowd  about  her,  and  pinned  a  small  scrap  of 
paper  on  one  side  of  the  altar,  amcmg  many  other 
similar  tokens.  Then  we  wondered  what  her  prayer 
might  be,  as  she  retired  quietly  from  the  spot.  Was 
it  a  petition  for  forgiveness  of  sins,  or  asking  conso- 
lation for  some  great  bereavement  ?  Be  it  what  it 
might,  tendered  sincerely,  though  in  that  blind  and 
simple  form,  it  doubtless  won  as  certain  response  as 
the  formal  devotion  of  the  most  pronounced  Chris- 
tian. 


CHAPTER  III. 

Foreign  Influence  in  Japan.  —  Progress  of  the  People.  —  Traveling 
Inland.  —Fertility  of  the  Soil.  —  Grand  Temples  and  Shrines  at 
Nikko  —  The  Left-Handed  Artist.  —  Japanese  Art,  —  City  of  Kobe'. 

—  Kioto  and  its  Temples.  —  Idol  Worship.  —  Native  Amusements. 

—  Morals  in  Japan.  —  Lake  Biwa.  —  Osaka  on  a  Gala  Day.  — 
The  Inland  Sea.  —Island  of  Pappenburg.  —  The  Tarpeian  Rock  of 
Japan.  —  Nagasaki.  —  Girls  Coaling  a  Ship.  —National  Products. 

Realizing  the  obtuseness  of  the  Japanese  in  all 
matters  relating  to  religion,  it  seems  strange  that  the 
national  government  permits  our  missionaries,  and 
those  from  other  Christian  countries,  such  free  scope, 
even  employing  them  to  educate  classes  in  English, 
formed  of  the  young  men  of  the  country.  Some  writ- 
ers have  lately  spoken  of  an  organized  persecution 
of  Christians  as  existing  in  Japan  to-day.  This  we 
cannot  absolutely  controvert,  but  it  was  a  subject  of 
inquiry  with  us  in  different  sections  of  the  country, 
and  an  entirely  different  conclusion  was  the  result  of 
all  we  could  learn.  There  can  be  no  doubt  that  an 
inclination  to  conform  to  the  American  model  in  gov- 
ernment and  habits  of  life  is  rapidly  growing  in  Ja- 
pan. Every  returning  youth  who  has  been  educated 
in  the  United  States,  or  even  in  Europe,  where  many 
are  sent  for  the  purpose,  becomes  on  his  return  an 
active  agent  to  this  end. 

It  is  especially  observed  that  these  youths  come 
back  wearing  the  American  costume,  and  they  con- 
tinue to  do  so,  rather  priding  themselves  upon  it  as  a 


66  DUE   WEST. 

mark  of  self-respect  and  distinction.  A  very  earnest 
desire  to  acquire  the  English  language  is  evinced  by 
the  middling  classes  especially  in  the  sea-ports.  Yet 
it  is  an  open  question  with  not  a  few  intelligent  peo- 
ple of  Yokohama,  where  we  heard  the  subject  freely 
discussed,  whether  foreign  commerce  and  foreign  in- 
tercourse, all  things  considered,  have  been  of  any  real 
advantage  thus  far  to  Japan.  Trade  has  broken  in 
upon  the  quiet  habits  of  a  people  who  were  living  in 
great  simplicity,  and  has  excited  desires  and  artificial 
wants  heretofore  unknown  to  them.  It  has  made  the 
cost  of  living  much  greater,  and  a  spirit  of  unrest  uni- 
versal, without  elevating  or  improving  the  people  to 
any  appreciable  extent.  All  this  in  a  certain  degree 
is  undoubtedly  true.  At  present  the  common  classes 
are  satisfied  with  the  most  moderate  compensation 
for  their  services,  and  living,  lodging,  and  transpor- 
tation are  cheap  enough.  As  the  Japanese  become 
better  acquainted  with  foreign  taste  and  extravagance 
they  will  undoubtedly  become  contaminated  and 
grow  extortionate. 

A  pleasant  excursion  of  a  hundred  miles  inland, 
with  Nikko  as  the  objective  point,  enabled  us  to  get 
some  idea  of  posting  with  Japanese  ponies,  which  are 
the  most  nervous  and  vicious  little  creatures  of  their 
species  upon  the  face  of  the  globe.  One  little  rogue 
required  six  men  to  harness  him,  and  then  was 
dragged  forward  by  his  mate  for  a  long  distance. 
The  driver,  however,  finally  got  the  animal  into  a 
run,  and  kept  him  at  that  pace  until  the  close  of  the 
stage,  and  another  change  took  place.  The  fact  is, 
a  horse,  on  the  dead  run,  has  not  much  time  to  be 
vicious,  but  is  obliged  to  go  straight  ahead  by  the 
simple  force  of  circumstances. 


A   NIGHT  AT  UTSONOMTGA.  67 

Two  thirds  of  the  national  road  between  Tokio 
and  Nikko  is  lined  on  either  side  by  large  and  ancient 
cedars,  so  thickly  set  that  both  body  and  roots,  in 
many  instances,  have  mingled  and  become  one.  These 
trees,  completely  overarching  the  narrow  road,  form 
a  welcome  shade,  and  are  also  very  ornamental,  with 
their  straight  shafts  and  thick  foliage.  The  first  half 
of  the  distance  to  Nikko  is  perfectly  level,  in  fact  one 
vast  rice  field.  The  journey  was  divided  by  stopping 
at  Utsonomiga,  where  we  passed  the  night  in  a  na- 
tive tea-house.  Our  sleeping  arrangements  were  very 
simple.  A  Japanese  bed  consists  of  a  thin  cotton 
mattress  spread  upon  the  floor,  and  a  similar  article 
with  big  sleeves  for  the  arms,  which  forms  the  cover- 
ing. The  pillow  is  a  block  of  wood,  for  which  the 
experienced  traveler  usually  substitutes  his  valise. 
There  is  not  much  privacy  afforded  by  the  paper 
screens  which  divide  the  several  apartments,  and 
which  prove  to  be  no  obstacle  to  conversation,  if  one 
desires  a  colloquy  with  his  neighbor.  Our  night-lamp 
was  a  floating  wick,  in  a  cup  of  cocoanut  oil,  placed 
in  a  square  paper  lantern  on  legs.  The  morning 
toilet  was  made  at  a  basin  of  water  in  the  open  court- 
yard. There  are  no  chairs,  tables,  or  wash-stands, 
unless  you  improvise  them.  However,  we  had  a  very 
good  night's  rest,  and  started  off  bright  and  early  in 
the  morning  for  Nikko. 

One  is  impressed  with  the  manifest  fertility  of  the 
soil  and  the  high  cultivation  it  receives  at  the  hands 
of  the  farmers ;  and  this  must  be  characteristic  of  a 
country  which,  as  is  shown  by  government  statistics, 
with  but  eleven  millions  of  acres  under  cultivation, 
feeds  and  clothes  thirty-five  millions  of  people ;  be- 
sides there  are  twenty-five  million  pounds  of  tea, 


68  DUE   WEST. 

three  million  pounds  of  raw  silk,  and  thirty -five 
million  pounds  of  rice  exported  annually.  The 
population  must  constantly  be  on  the  increase.  All 
along  this  finely  shaded  road  neat  farm-houses  were 
to  be  seen,  but  no  domestic  cattle.  Rows  of  tea- 
houses were  frequently  in  sight,  extending  occasion- 
ally into  a  village  or  town  of  considerable  dimen- 
sions, and  filled  with  an  active  population.  The 
tea-houses,  as  well  as  the  shops  and  dwelling-houses, 
were  all  open,  exposing  each  domestic  arrangement 
to  the  public.  The  floors  of  these  country  houses 
are  slightly  raised  from  the  ground,  say  one  step,  and 
covered  with  neat  straw  carpeting,  upon  which  the 
family  and  visitors  "  squat "  and  take  their  refresh- 
ments. 

The  people  in  the  places  through  which  we  passed 
were  a  little  curious  at  our  appearance,  but  offered  no 
real  annoyance.  Many  were  engaged  in  mechanical 
pursuits,  but  were  working  after  what  appeared  a 
most  awkward  fashion,  their  tools  being  simple  and 
of  little  variety ;  while  as  to  machinery  wherewith  to 
facilitate  hand-labor,  the  Japanese  seem  to  have  no 
more  idea  of  it  than  does  a  South  Sea  Islander. 
Many  of  the  people  make  the  raising  of  silk-worms 
and  silk  winding  a  source  of  livelihood.  In  the  rear 
of  some  houses  were  seen  little  mulberry  orchards, 
and  spread  out  by  the  roadside,  upon  mats,  were 
thousands  of  cocoons  in  the  warm  sunshine.  Women 
were  frequently  seen  outside  the  houses  spinning  the 
silk  and  winding  the  thread.  Though  silk  raising  is 
so  large  and  important  an  industry  in  Japan,  the 
winding  of  the  material  is  still  performed  in  the  most 
laborious  and  primitive  manner.  Grain  was  being 
winnowed,  as  we  drove  along,  by  the  simple  process 


TEMPERANCE  IN  JAPAN,  59 

of  passing  it  from  hand  to  hand,  this  being  done  by 
the  women,  who  also  separated  the  rice  from  the 
stalks,  drawing  it  by  the  handful  through  fixed  up- 
right wooden  teeth,  placed  close  together.  Nothing 
could  be  more  primitive. 

We  had  read  of  Japanese  intemperance  in  the  use 
of  saki,  a  spirit  distilled  from  rice ;  but  during  the 
time  we  were  in  the  country,  one  person  only  was 
seen  under  the  influence  of  intoxication,  and  who  was 
observed  on  the  road  during  this  trip  inland.  Intem- 
perance cannot  be  common  among  the  populace,  or  it 
would  be  more  obvious.  One  may  see  more  drunk- 
enness among  the  common  people  of  American  cities 
in  ten  minutes  than  in  ten  weeks  in  Japan.  Grapes 
are  raised  to  some  extent,  but  no  wine  is  made  from 
them,  or  at  least  not  in  any  large  quantity. 

The  city  of  Nikko  is  at  present  a  place  of  not  more 
than  five  hundred  houses,  all  of  which  are  located 
upon  one  broad  thoroughfare,  thatched  with  rice 
straw,  and  built  of  the  frailest  material.  We  were 
told  that  about  a  century  ago  a  hundred  thousand 
p'eople  dwelt  here,  but  a  fire  swept  their  homes  away 
in  a  single  night,  leaving  only  ashes  to  mark  the  spot. 
There  is  no  foundation  or  cellar  to  a  Japanese  dwell- 
ing. The  temples  in  this  vicinity  are  isolated  from 
the  dwellings,  a  river  running  between,  and  are  won- 
derful in  architecture,  size,  and  costliness.  They  are 
many  hundred  years  of  age,  and  contain,  among  other 
curious  ornaments,  statues  of  grotesque  shapes  in 
bronze,  of  priceless  value,  mammoth  bronze  figures 
of  birds  of  the  stork  species,  etc.,  life-like  in  charac- 
ter, and  of  exquisite  finish.  There  are  also  many 
emblems  and  idols  in  gold,  silver,  and  gilded  wood. 
Some  of  the  bronzes  are  known  to  be  over  a  thousand 


60  DUE   WEST, 

years  old,  and  we  were  assured  that  none  of  such  val- 
uable composition  has  been  used  for  centuries.  All 
ancient  Japanese  bronze  has  in  it  a  large  percentage 
of  gold  and  silver. 

Before  the  door,  just  over  the  entrance  to  these 
temples,  there  is  fastened  a  gong,  and  above  it  hangs 
a  metallic  hammer,  depending  from  which  is  a  rope. 
When  a  priest,  or  native  of  the  people,  comes  hither 
to  pray,  he  pulls  the  rope  vigorously,  and  thus  pro- 
duces a  series  of  strokes  upon  the  gong  that  might 
wake  the  dead.  This  is  to  call  the  attention  of  the 
Deity,  and  lead  him  to  give  ear  to  the  petition  about 
to  be  offered  !  Enormous  bells  of  exquisite  purity  of 
sound,  hung  a  few  feet  from  the  ground  in  the  area 
before  the  temples,  are  rung  at  stated  periods  by  the 
use  of  a  battering  ram  of  wood,  suspended  near  them, 
causing  the  huge  monsters  to  give  out  soft,  muffled, 
though  deep  and  far-reaching  notes,  that  float  off 
among  the  mountain  passes,  and  come  back  again 
from  Echo's  lips,  with  startling  distinctness.  Several 
priests,  clad  in  long,  yellow  robes,  were  seen  actively 
employed,  chanting,  praying,  and  performing  inex- 
plicable ceremonies.  One  had  a  lot  of  little  pine 
chips  by  his  side,  and  was  busy  in  alternately  feeding 
a  small  fire  upon  a  stone  slab  and  beating  a  tom-tom. 
This,  as  our  guide  informed  us,  was  to  propitiate  the 
god  of  fire,  and  to  avert  all  possible  catastrophes  from 
that  much  dreaded  source.  When  we  passed  out  of 
the  grounds,  some  hours  later,  this  priest  was  still 
busy  with  his  chips  and  the  noisy  tom-tom,  though 
there  was  no  audience  present  except  our  little  party. 

Before  another  shrine,  not  far  away,  was  a  dancing 
priestess,  clothed  in  a  fantastic  manner,  the  onl^ 
woman  devotee  whom  we  chanced  to  see  in  Japan. 


THE  LEFT-HANDED  ARTIST.  61 

She  held  out  a  lacquered  salver  for  money,  pre- 
sumedly for  religious  purposes,  and  on  receiving  the 
same  she  commenced  a  series  of  gyrations  worthy  of 
the  whirling  dervishes  of  Cairo.  It  was  impossible 
not  to  recall  De  Foe's  couplet  as  applied  to  this  witch- 
like creature :  — 

"  God  never  had  a  house  of  prayer 
But  Satan  had  a  chapel  there." 

If  she  had  been  young  and  pretty  one  might  have 
endured  the  farce,  but  the  woman  was  positively  hid- 
eous, old,  and  wrinkled.  Another  priest,  hard  by,  was 
seen  to  be  writing  prayers  upon  bits  of  paper,  in  an- 
ticipation of  future  demand,  suited  to  all  sorts  of 
cases ;  and  to  be  sold  to  visiting  penitents,  who  would 
pin  or  paste  them  up  in  the  temples  as  already  de- 
scribed, and  where  the  gods  could  peruse  them  at 
their  leisure.  The  wood-carvings,  representing  vines, 
flowers,  birds,  and  beasts,  which  formed  a  part  of  the 
elaborate  ornamentation  of  the  temples,  could  not  be 
surpassed  in  Europe  or  America,  and  were  as  fresh 
and  bright  as  though  but  just  finished  by  the  artist. 

Our  guide  told  us  that  the  carvings  of  these  tem- 
ples were  executed  by  a  man  whose  facility  was  con- 
sidered miraculous,  and  whose  whole  life  was  devoted 
to  this  object.  He  was  known  as  the  Left-Handed 
Artist,  having  but  partial  use  of  the  right  hand,  and 
being  also  a  dwarf.  It  seems,  according  to  the  leg- 
end, that,  while  this  artist  was  working  at  the  orna- 
mentation of  the  temples  at  Nikko,  he  saw  and  fell 
in  love  with  a  very  beautiful  Japanese  girl  resident 
in  the  city ;  but  she  would  have  nothing  to  do  with 
him  on  account  of  his  deformity  of  person.  In  vain 
was  his  genius,  in  vain  his  tender  pleadings  ;  she  was 
inflexible ,  so  that  at  last,  quite  heartbroken,  the  poor 


62  DUE   WEST, 

sculptor  went  back  to  Tokio,  his  native  place,  where 
he  carved  an  image  of  his  beloved  in  wood,  life-size, 
which,  when  finished,  was  so  perfect  and  beautiful 
that  the  gods  endowed  it  with  life,  and  the  sculptor 
lived  with  it  as  his  wife  in  the  enjoyment  of  mutual 
love  all  the  rest  of  his  life.  A  classic  fable  of  similar 
import  will  occur  to  the  reader.  Is  there  anything 
new  under  the  sun  ? 

The  temples,  shrines,  and  tombs  of  Nikko,  in  such 
perfect  preservation,  are  to  the  writer's  mind  the 
most  remarkable  in  the  world.  Their  complete  isola- 
tion, far  away  from  any  populous  neighborhood  ;  the 
solemn  silence  which  surrounds  them  at  all  times, 
shaded  by  a  grove  of  lofty  cedars  surpassed  only  in 
size  and  height  by  the  giants  of  the  Yosemite,  all 
tend  to  make  them  singularly  impressive.  The  ap- 
proach to  the  site  is  by  a  wide  flight  of  many  stone 
steps,  black  and  moss-grown  with  the  rains  and  dews 
of  centuries,  forming  a  grand  example  of  ancient  ma- 
sonry, the  large,  uniform  granite  blocks  so  laid  and 
bonded  that,  after  resting  there  for  ages,  a  knife- 
blade  could  not  be  introduced  between  the  joints. 
On  careful  examination  it  appeared  that  no  compo- 
sition either  of  cement  or  mortar  had  ever  been  em- 
plojT^ed  in  this  masonry,  the  builders  confining  them- 
selves to  proper  foundation  and  perfect  matching  to- 
gether of  the  stones.  At  Tokio,  the  Shiba  temple, 
curious,  strange,  and  interesting  as  it  was,  lost  ef- 
fect by  the  neighborhood  of  the  busy  throng  always 
at  hand.  To  enter  the  Shiba  temple  was  like  visit- 
ing a  grand  museum  of  specialties,  while  these  lonely 
Nikko  shrines  at  once  command  the  visitor's  half  un- 
willing reverence. 

Our  tea-house  at  Nikko  was  a  duplicate  of  that  at 


JAPANESE  NOVELTIES.  €|8 

Utsonomiga.  In  the  garden  was  the  usual  ornamen- 
tation so  much  affected  by  the  people  here,  consist- 
ing of  rockeries,  little  mounds  of  bamboo  or  dwarf 
pines,  together  with  small  plots  of  flowering  shrubs, 
and  little  ponds  of  gold  and  silver  fish.  These  fishes 
attracted  notice  as  being  quite  different  from  any 
with  which  we  were  acquainted.  They  were  a  small 
species,  not  more  than  three  inches  long,  and  generally 
smaller  than  that;  but  they  were  supplied  with  a 
double  complement  of  tail,  and  had  large  protruding 
eyes  like  a  King  Charles  spaniel,  and  pug  noses  like 
a  fashionable  bull  pup.  They  were  ludicrous  little 
fellows,  so  curious  withal,  that  at  great  trouble  and 
care  a  few  were  brought  home  by  one  of  our  party  ; 
not  all  of  those  selected,  however,  survived  the  exi- 
gencies of  the  long  journey. 

On  this  posting  trip,  both  going  to  and  coming 
from  Nikko,  we  observed  upon  the  road,  in  the  sev- 
eral villages  and  posting  stations,  many  curious 
things.  Women  seemed  to  perform  the  most  of  the 
out -door  work,  ditching  and  laboring  in  the  rice 
swamps,  with  infants  lashed  to  their  backs.  When 
they  were  met  taking  articles  to  market,  upon  the 
little  country  ponies,  they  rode  astride,  man  fashion. 
Hens  were  seen  with  hair  in  place  of  feathers,  hens 
as  small  as  domestic  pigeons,  hens  with  plumes  on 
their  heads  like  militia  captains,  and  hens  with  bare 
crowns  like  shaven  priests.  There  were  also  green 
pigeons  and  speckled  crows,  tame  as  domestic  fowls, 
among  which  was  seen  that  anomaly,  a  white  crow. 
At  the  tea-house  where  we  stopped  for  the  night, 
our  passports,  specially  granted,  were  taken  by  the 
local  officials  and  returned  to  us  in  the  morning. 
The  passport  was  rather  a  curious  document,  and  dis- 


64  DUE   WEST, 

claimed  all  responsibility  on  the  part  of  the  Mikado 
and  his  government  should  the  holder  be  murdered 
by  the  way,  from  whatever  cause.  In  short,  we  were 
permitted  to  travel  inland,  but  at  our  own  peril.  It 
is  still  looked  upon  by  many  as  somewhat  risky  to 
travel  away  from  the  populous  centres,  but  we  met 
with  no  special  trouble. 

The  natives  upon  the  route  were  inclined  to  be  a 
little  curious  as  to  the  ladies'  bonnets  and  dresses,  nor 
were  they  quite  satisfied  without  using  some  familiar- 
ity about  the  gentlemen's  attire ;  but  they  seemed  to 
be  of  a  soft  and  pliant  mould,  easily  managed  by  ex- 
ercising a  little  finesse.  It  was  curious  to  observe 
how  entirely  opposite  to  our  own  methods  were  many 
of  theirs.  At  the  post  stations  the  horses  were  placed 
and  tied  in  their  stalls  with  their  heads  to  the  pas- 
sage-way, and  their  tails  where  we  place  their  heads. 
Thus  they  are  fed  and  kept.  In  place  of  iron  shoes 
the  Japanese  pony  is  shod  with  close-braided  rice 
straw.  Carpenters,  in  using  the  fore-plane,  draw  it 
towards  them  instead  of  pushing  it  from  them.  It  is 
the  same  in  using  the  saw,  the  teeth  of  which  are  set 
accordingly.  So  the  tailor  sews  from  him,  not  to- 
wards his  body,  and  holds  his  thread  with  his  toes. 
They  have  no  chimneys  to  the  houses,  the  smoke  find- 
ing its  way  out  at  the  doors  and  windows,  though 
brasiers  are  used  instead  of  fireplaces,  and  in  hot 
weather  are  placed  outside  the  dwelling  for  cooking 
purposes.  The  men  shave  their  heads  just  where 
the  Chinese  do  not,  making  a  bald  spot  on  the  top  ; 
and  so  we  might  go  on  specifying  peculiarities,  show- 
ing that  the  Japanese  are  our  antipodes  not  only 
geographically  but  also  in  manners  and  customs. 

As  regards  Japanese  art,  of  which  every  one  has 


JAPANESE  ART,  65 

seen  such  laughable  specimens,  it  must  yet  be  ad- 
mitted that  there  is  a  certain  artistic  element  extant 
among  the  people ;  otherwise  we  should  not  have  the 
thousand  and  one  beautifully  finished  articles  which 
are  produced  by  them,  exhibiting  exquisite  finish  and 
perfection  of  detail.  Of  perspective  they  have  no  idea 
whatever ;  half-tones  and  the  play  of  light  and  shade 
they  do  not  understand  ;  there  is  no  distinction  of  dis- 
tances. Their  figures  are  good,  delicately  executed, 
and  their  choice  of  colors  admirable.  In  profile  work 
or  bas-relief  they  get  on  very  well,  where  there  is 
no  perspective  required,  but  in  grouping  they  pile 
houses  on  the  sea  and  mountains  on  the  house- 
tops. At  caricature  they  greatly  excel,  indeed  they 
scarcely  attempt  to  represent  the  human  face  and  fig- 
ure in  any  other  light.  In  place  of  entertaining  any 
idea  of  what  is  lovely  in  our  species,  they  look  only  at 
the  human  face  and  form  from  the  ludicrous  side,  and 
this  they  render  by  giving  it  ideal  ugliness,  or  by 
exaggerating  the  grosser  characteristics.  The  Japa- 
nese artist  knowing  nothing  of  anatomy  as  a  science, 
in  its  connection  with  art,  nor  even  attempting  the 
simplest  principle  of  foreshortening,  we  can  only 
fairly  judge  as  to  his  success  in  what  he  practices. 
It  will  be  curious  to  watch  the  progress  of  the  Japa- 
nese, and  see  their  first  attempts  in  perspective  draw- 
ing. So  intelligent  and  imitative  a  race  will  not 
fail  to  acquire  this  simple  principle  of  art  and  nature ; 
the  only  mystery  seems  to  be  how  it  has  so  long 
escaped  them. 

Architecture  can  hardly  be  said  to  exist  in  Japan, 
though  we  have  used  the  term.  The  houses  of  the 
prince  and  the  cobbler  are  the  same,  consisting  of  a 
one-story  building  composed  of  a  few  upright  posts, 


66  .   DUE   WEST, 

perhaps  of  bamboo,  and  a  heavy  thatched  roof.  The 
outer  walls  are  mere  sliding  doors  or  shutters,  while 
the  interior  is  divided  by  screens  or  sliding  parti- 
tions. The  man  of  means  uses  finer  material  and 
polished  wood,  with  better  painted  screens :  that  is  all. 
Prince  and  peasant  use  rice-paper  in  place  of  glass, 
and  a  portable  brasier  to  warm  the  hands  and  feet 
and  to  cook  with  ;  there  are  no  fireplaces  in  the 
country,  except  in  European  houses.  The  pagodas  and 
temples  at  Nikko  and  elsewhere  are  of  the  typical 
Chinese  stamp,  and  as  far  as  architectural  design  is 
concerned  are  all  alike,  and  all  built  of  wood.  When 
speaking  of  the  fine  and  durable  masonry,  reference 
was  had  to  the  lofty  inclosing  walls,  causeways,  and 
steps  which  lead  up  to  the  broad  ground  and  tombs 
at  Nikko. 

We  took  passage  from  Yokohama  for  Kob^  in  the 
English  mail  steamship  Sumatra,  of  the  P.  and  O. 
line,  which,  after  two  days'  pleasant  voyage,  landed 
us  at  the  northern  entrance  to  the  Inland  Sea  of 
Japan.  Kob^  is  of  some  commercial  importance, 
quite  Europeanized,  but  of  very  little  interest  to  the 
traveler,  gaining  its  business  as  the  sea-port  for  the 
imperial  city  of  Osaka,  with  which  it  is  connected 
by  the  river  Yedo.  After  looking  about  us  here 
for  a  day,  visiting  some  lofty  and  pretty  falls  in 
the  neighborhood,  and  some  curious  Buddhist  shrines 
in  a  grove  back  of  the  town,  the  cars  were  taken 
for  Kioto,  sixty  miles  inland,  where  we  arrived  in 
the  afternoon  and  found  a  good  native  public  house, 
the  Masuyama  Hotel,  situated  on  a  hill-side  com- 
pletely overlooking  the  town.  Here  we  had  beds, 
wash-stands,  chairs,  and  the  ordinary  comforts  of 
civilization.     Kioto  has  a  population  of  over  three 


THE   TEMPLES  OF  KIOTO.  67 

hundred  thousand,  and,  as  we  were  told,  once  num- 
bered two  million  of  inhabitants,  which  one  can 
easily  credit,  since  it  was  in  the  past  the  political 
capital  of  the  country  and  sole  residence  of  the  em- 
perors ;  but  now  the  Mikado  lives  permanently  at 
Tokio. 

Kioto  is  called  the  City  of  Temples,  and  we  cer- 
tainly visited  so  many  that  only  a  confused  memory 
of  them  in  the  aggregate  is  retained.  They  were 
by  no  means  equal  in  grandeur,  ornamentation,  ar- 
chitecture, or  age  to  those  of  Nikko,  Kamakura,  or 
Tokio.  More  religious  pretentiousness  was  obvious 
here,  —  more  people  were  congregated  before  the 
images,  engaged  in  acts  of  devotion.  It  might  be 
added,  if  there  was  any  chastening  influence  in  the 
ceremonies,  they  were  more  needed  at  Kioto  than  at 
any  other  place,  perhaps,  in  the  whole  country,  judg- 
ing from  only  too  obvious  circumstances.  The  Japa- 
nese character  presents  as  much  unlikeness  to  the 
Oriental  as  to  the  European  type,  and  is  comparable 
only  to  itself.  In  nothing  is  this  more  apparent 
than  in  the  fact  that  a  people  who  are  so  intelligent, 
who  can  reason  calmly  and  cogently  on  nearly  any 
other  subject,  should  be  so  obtuse  in  religious  mat- 
ters. A  Japanese  believes  the  little  caricature  in 
ivory  or  wood,  which  has  perhaps  been  manufac- 
tured under  his  own  eye,  or  even  by  his  own  hands, 
is  sacred,  and  will  address  his  prayers  to  it  with  a 
solemn  conviction  of  its  powers  to  respond.  Than  this 
idolatry  cannot  further  go.  His  most  revered  gods 
are  effigies  of  renowned  warriors  and  successful  gen- 
erals. African  fetich  is  no  blinder  than  such  baseless 
adoration  performed  by  an  intelligent  people.  Some 
of  the  indigenous  animals,  such  as  foxes,  badgers,  and 


68  DUE   WEST, 

snakes,  are  protected  with  superstitious  reverence,  if 
not  absolutely  worshiped.  At  Tokio  we  saw  ponies 
that  were  held  sacred,  dedicated  in  some  way  to  the 
use  of  the  church,  kept  in  idleness,  and  reverenced  by 
both  priests  and  people,  being  fed  on  the  fat  of  the 
land,  like  sacred  bulls  at  Benares. 

At  the  Kioto  temples  it  was  observable  that  fully 
a  score  of  priests  were  kept  busy  writing  brief  prayers 
upon  slips  of  paper  at  the  solicitation  of  devotees, 
doubtless  suited  to  their  supposed  necessities.  These 
scraps  the  recipients  pressed  to  their  lips,  foreheads, 
and  breasts,  then  pinned  or  pasted  them  up  in  the 
temples  among  thousands  of  similar  offerings.  One 
of  these  temples,  we  were  told  by  our  guide,  con- 
tained over  thirty  thousand  idols,  and  as  far  as  a 
casual  glance  could  take  in  the  confused  mass  of  them 
ranged  close  to  each  other,  the  aggregate  number  may 
be  correct.  These  idols  were  three  feet  high,  repre- 
senting some  approach  to  the  human  figure,  each  pos- 
sessing many  arms  and  hands.  They  were  carved 
from  solid  blocks  of  wood,  and  very  heavily  gilded, 
presenting  a  most  gaudy  and  toy -like  appearance. 
While  we  stood  within  this  temple  some  women  came 
in,  prostrated  themselves  before  the  glittering  toys 
for  a  few  moments,  and  then  passed  out,  making  room 
for  others ;  but  we  saw  no  men  at  devotion  in  this 
temple  of  many  thousand  idols. 

The  streets  of  Kioto  were  thronged  with  mounte- 
banks, peep-shows,  performing  acrobats,  and  conju- 
rers. Sleek  and  pampered  priests  in  yellow  robes 
were  met  at  every  turn,  a  class  who  exercise  a  certain 
influence  over  the  people  through  their  superstition, 
but  who  command  no  personal  respect.  We  were 
told  that  they  are  a  profligate  set,  like  too  many  of 


AMUSEMENTS   OF  KIOTO.  69 

their  class  elsewhere,  and  enjoyed  a  certain  immunity 
from  the  laws.  Before  the  temples  was  seen  in  one 
or  two  instances  a  theatrical  performance  in  progress, 
which  seemed  rather  incongruous,  but  upon  inquiry 
this  was  found  to  be  designed  to  appease  the  special 
gods  of  the  temple,  —  to  entertain  and  amuse  them  I 
so  that  they  would  grant  favors  to  the  people.  The 
exhibition  consisted  of  dancing  and  posturing  by  pro- 
fessionals of  both  sexes,  accompanied  by  the  noise  of 
tom-toms,  whistles,  gongs,  bells,  and  fifes.  There 
was  no  attempt  at  time  or  harmony,  as  far  as  could 
be  discovered,  the  end  and  aim  being  apparently  to 
make  all  the  noise  possible. 

Amusements  are  not  lacking  at  Kioto,  as  there  are 
numerous  theatres  where  farce,  tragedy,  and  comedy 
are  duly  represented  after  the  crude  fashion  of  the 
country.  These  theatres  open  at  early  morning  and 
the  play  lasts  until  midnight,  with  the  briefest  inter- 
missions. The  spectators  bring  their  food  with  them ; 
so  that  eating,  drinking,  and  smoking  are  going  on  all 
the  while  during  the  performance.  At  some  of  these 
theatres  women  only  perform,  at  others  only  men,  but 
in  no  instance  do  the  two  sexes  mingle  in  these  public 
exhibitions.  The  mechanical  arrangements  are  of 
the  most  primitive  character,  such  as  would  not  sat- 
isfy children  in  America,  but  the  pantomime  is  very 
good.  As  to  speaking  characters,  they  are  very  sel- 
dom attempted.  The  price  of  admission  is  about 
five  cents  of  our  currency,  and  from  six  hundred  to 
a  thousand  persons  often  gather  at  these  theatres. 
Music  (it  is  called  by  that  name)  and  posturing  fill 
up  the  intervals.  To  an  American  observer  the 
whole  exhibition  seems  cruder  than  a  Comanche  war- 
dance. 


70  DUE   WEST, 

Singing  and  posturing  girls  are  here  let  out  in 
groups,  as  in  other  Japanese  cities,  to  entertain  for- 
eigners or  natives  at  their  meals ;  but  the  performances 
and  the  purpose  are  highly  objectionable,  morality 
in  this  latitude  being  much  like  that  of  the  average 
European  capitals,  that  is,  at  a  very  low  ebb,  as 
viewed  from  our  stand-point.  There  are  also  public 
exhibitions  of  acrobats  in  wrestling,  fencing,  and  the 
like,  while  others  are  devoted  entirely  to  sleight-of- 
hand  tricks,  very  good  of  their  kind. 

The  porcelain  manufactories  of  Kioto  were  found 
interesting,  —  everything  being  done,  however,  by  the 
patient  and  slow  process  of  hand  labor,  with  the  crud- 
est of  tools.  The  same  remark  applies  to  the  silk  man- 
ufactories, where  the  weaving  is  performed  in  a  labo- 
rious manner,  each  small  hand -loom  requiring  two 
persons  to  operate  it.  The  goods  thus  produced  are 
really  fine,  but  could  not  be  sold  in  the  present  mar- 
kets of  the  world  except  that  Japanese  labor  is  held 
at  starvation  prices.  The  average  pay  of  the  weavers 
is  less  than  thirty  cents  per  day,  and  the  boy  helpers, 
who  work  the  shuttles,  receive  but  twelve.  The  vari- 
ous manufactories  of  paper  here  and  elsewhere  in  the 
country  form  one  of  its  most  extended  industries,  the 
basis  of  the  material  being  the  bark  of  certain  trees ; 
indeed,  one  is  on  this  account  designated  as  the  paper- 
tree,  and,  being  a  species  of  the  mulberry,  it  serves  a 
double  purpose,  —  its  leaves  feeding  the  little  insect 
which  is  so  important  a  factor  in  Japanese  products. 
It  must  not  be  supposed  that  the  large  amount  of 
paper  which  is  produced  indicates  its  consumption  for 
printing  purposes  :  the  demand  for  that  species  of  the 
article  is  very  limited,  but  the  general  uses  to  which 
the  manufactured  paper  are  put  in  Japan  is  infinite; 


LAKE  BIWA.  71 

A  very  superior  grade  of  oil  paper  is  manufactured 
which  is  suitable  even  for  clothing,  and  is  so  used.  It 
has  been  mentioned  how  universally  a  certain  grade 
is  used  in  place  of  glass ;  paper  is  also  employed  for 
partitions  of  rooms  in  place  of  lath  and  plaster ;  for 
fans,  an  immense  amount  is  required ;  also,  for  cases 
and  boxes,  for  twine,  letter- bags,  purses,  umbrellas, 
and  many  other  articles. 

The  largest  lake  in  Japan  is  that  of  Biwa,  a  very 
fine  sheet  of  water,  nearly  fifty  miles  long,  but  rather 
narrow,  probably  not  exceeding  an  average  width  of 
more  than  ten  miles.  It  is  situated  about  eight  miles 
from  Kioto,  and  thither  we  went  in  jinrikishas.  It 
was  anciently  the  summer  resort  of  the  Mikados,  and 
is  a  very  beautiful  lake,  abounding  in  fish,  a  most  im- 
portant matter  to  the  neighborhood,  as  rice  and  fish 
are  the  chief  diet  in  Japan.  There  are  many  pleas- 
ure-houses, so-called,  along  its  banks,  where  the  visitor 
is  entertained  with  fish  fresh  from  the  water,  cooked 
in  a  great  variety  of  ways.  On  the  north  and  west 
side  the  lake  is  hemmed  in,  like  a  Scotch  loch,  by  lofty 
hills,  but  on  the  other  sides  by  pleasant,  highly  culti- 
vated lands,  slightly  undulating,  and  ornamented  with 
pretty  little  hamlets,  and  tea-houses  for  visitors  who 
sail  upon  the  lake  for  pleasure.  Our  jinrikisha  men 
took  us  there  in  less  than  an  hour  and  a  half,  but  as 
the  road  rises  towards  Kioto  we  were  fully  two  hours 
in  returning.  On  this  occasion  women  harnessed 
tandem,  with  men,  to  some  jinrikishas  were  met,  and 
they  trotted  off  quite  as  easily  at  a  pony  gait .  as  did 
the  men,  but  it  is  gratifying  to  say  that  it  was  the 
only  time  we  saw  women  so  employed. 

We  returned  to  Kobd  by  way  of  Osaka,  a  city 
nearly  as  large  as  Kioto,  and  much  more  of  a  business 


72  DUE   WEST, 

and  manufacturing  centre.  The  national  mint  is  lo- 
cated here,  with  some  other  large  government  works. 
The  ancient  fort  overlooking  the  town  is  of  great 
interest,  and  is  still  fortified,  affording  barracks  for  a 
couple  of  regiments  of  the  regular  army.  It  is  a  re- 
markably substantial  structure;  many  of  the  stones 
of  which  it  is  composed  are  so  large  that  it  is  a 
wonder  how  they  could  ever  have  been  transported 
intact  from  the  quarry.  Osaka  has  rivers  and  canals 
running  through  it  much  like  Amsterdam,  though  not 
so  numerous,  and  has  been  appropriately  called  the 
Venice  of  Japan.  It  is  not  Europeanized  like  Kobd  or 
Yokohama ;  it  is  purely  Japanese  in  all  respects,  and 
possesses  a  considerable  commerce.  The  day  of  our 
arrival  was  a  festal  one,  being  consecrated  to  the  god  of 
the  waters  ;  wherefore  large  boats  gayly  decked  with 
flags  and  party-colored  streamers,  containing  crowds 
of  gayly  dressed  men  in  harlequin  style,  were  rowing 
in  long  processions  through  the  water-ways  of  the 
city  and  under  the  many  high-arched  bridges.  On 
the  decks  of  the  boats  the  people  were  dancing  and 
singing  (howling),  to  the  notes  of  an  indescribable 
instrument,  which  could  give  a  Scotch  bag-pipe  liberal 
odds  and  then  surpass  it  in  its  most  hideous  discord- 
ance. Music  is  not  a  strong  point  with  the  Chinese 
or  Japanese ;  if  they  have  any  actual  melody  in  their 
compositions,  no  foreign  ear  can  detect  it.  At  one 
of  the  public  performances  at  Kobd  it  seemed  that 
the  notes  were  produced  by  a  file  and  rusty  saw. 

We  embarked  at  Kob^  November  .26th,  on  the 
Japanese  steamship  Niigata  Marii,  officered  by  Euro- 
peans, but  manned  by  natives,  bound  for  Nagasaki, 
near  the  southernmost  point  of  Japan,  and  to  reach 
which  we  sailed  the  whole  length  of  the  famous  and 


BEAUTIES  OF   THE  INLAND  SEA.  73 

beautiful  Inland  Sea.  It  was  a  most  enchanting 
voyage  of  two  days  and  two  nights,  among  innumer- 
able islands  and  grotesquely  formed  hills,  which  were 
covered  with  foliage  and  verdure  to  the  very  water's 
edge.  Many  of  these  islands  were  inhabited,  and 
cultivated  on  their  abrupt  sides  in  terraces,  like  vine- 
yards on  the  Rhine,  displaying  great  care  and  taste. 
The  aspect  of  the  conical  islands,  bluffs,  headlands, 
and  inlets  recalled  the  St.  Lawrence  River  in  Canada, 
presenting  narrow  and  winding  passages,  losing  them- 
selves in  creeks  and  bays  after  a  most  curious  fash- 
ion, while  little  brown  hamlets  here  and  there  fringed 
the  coast  line.  At  night,  the  scene  changing  con- 
stantly was  enhanced  in  beauty  by  the  clearness  of 
the  atmosphere  and  the  brightness  of  the  moon.  We 
slept  scarcely  at  all  on  board  the  Niigata  Marii ;  it 
seemed  almost  sacrilege  to  miss  an  hour  of  the  beau- 
ful  flying  panorama  which  was  being  so  silently 
spread  before  our  vision. 

The  sea  was  one  sheet  of  rippling  silver ;  the  stars, 
partially  eclipsed  by  the  moon,  "  silver  empress  of  the 
night,"  were  nevertheless  bright  and  sparkling  with 
diamond  lustre.  All  was  still,  for  though  we  eagerly 
watched,  we  rarely  spoke ;  silence  became  eloquent 
on  such  an  occasion.  Now  and  then  the  deep,  hoarse 
voice  of  the  captain  from  the  forecastle  of  the  steamer 
floated  aft:  "Port  your  helm,"  "Starbord,"  "Steady." 
In  this  intricate  navigation  the  captain  leaves  the 
bridge  to  the  ofl&cer  of  the  watch,  and  temporarily 
takes  the  post  of  the  forward  lookout.  Now  we  run 
close  in  under  some  towering  headland,  now  sheer  off 
from  a  green  isle  so  near  that  none  but  an  experi- 
enced pilot  would  dare  to  hug  the  shore  so  closely. 
At  many  points  the  sea  seemed  to  be  completely  land- 


74  DUE   WEST. 

locked,  like  the  Lakes  of  Killarney,  framed  in  by  lofty 
bills.  Too  much  had  not  been  promised  us  in  this 
special  voyage  through  the  Inland  Sea.  For  once, 
fruition  was  confirmation.  We  could  have  sailed  on 
and  on,  over  those  still,  deep  waters  and  among  those 
fairy-like  isles,  for  weeks  unwearied,  and  when  at  last 
we  anchored  in  the  snug  harbor  of  Nagasaki  the  voy- 
age had  been  only  too  brief. 

A  sad  interest  attaches  to  the  small  but  lofty 
island  of  Pappenburg,  which  stands  like  a  sentinel 
guarding  the  entrance  to  the  harbor  of  Nagasaki.  It 
is  the  Tarpeian  Rock  of  the  far  East.  During  the  per- 
secution of  the  Christians  in  the  seventeenth  cen- 
tury, the  steep  cliff,  which  forms  the  seaward  side  of 
the  island,  was  an  execution  point,  and  from  here  men 
and  women  who  declined  to  abjure  their  faith  were 
cast  headlong  on  to  the  sea-washed  rocks  far  below. 
The  present  verdure  and  beauty  which  so  character- 
ize the  spot  are  in  strong  contrast  with  the  sad  his- 
tory of  the  place ;  nor  could  we  gaze  upon  its  pre- 
cipitous side,  as  we  steamed  slowly  by,  without  a 
shudder  at  the  tragedies  once  enacted  there. 

Nagasaki  was  found  to  be  a  thrifty  commercial 
city  of  about  a  hundred  thousand  inhabitants,  with 
a  fine  harbor,  the  entrance  being  as  narrow  as  that 
of  Havana ;  but  once  inside,  the  combined  fleets  of 
the  world  might  find  good  anchorage  under  the 
shadow  of  the  lofty  hills  which  surround  its  deep, 
clear  waters.  The  extreme  length  of  the  harbor 
must  be  about  four  miles,  by  two  in  width.  Tall, 
dark  pines  and  a  verdant  undergrowth  mark  the  deep 
ravines  and  sloping  hill-sides,  upon  which  European 
dwellings  may  be  seen  overlooking  the  bay,  inter- 
spersed  with  a  few  Buddhist  temples.     During  a  de« 


PRODUCTS   OF  NAGASAKI,  75 

lightful  afternoon  stroll  and  climb  among  these  hills, 
we  came  upon  many  wild  flowers,  shaded  by  oaks 
and  camphor-trees  of  great  size  and  beautiful  foliage, 
with  occasional  specimens  of  the  Japan  wax-tree. 
Still  farther  up,  the  hills  were  covered  with  dark, 
moss-crowned  grave-stones,  bearing  curious  charac- 
ters and  marking  the  sleeping-place  of  bj^gone  gen- 
erations, the  unbroken  quiet  of  this  city  of  the  dead, 
contrasting  with  the  hum  of  feverish  life  that  came 
up  from  the  busy  town. 

Nagasaki  is  quaint  even  for  a  Japanese  city,  its 
clean,  broad  streets  ornamented  by  growing  palms, 
pomegranates,  and  bamboo-trees,  while  each  shop  is 
a  little  museum  in  itself.  Like  Osaka,  it  is  thor- 
oughly Japanese  in  its  appearance,  as  well  as  in 
the  manners  and  customs  of  its  thrifty  inhabitants. 
Here,  and  throughout  the  entire  country,  one  feels 
impressed  with  the  evident  peace,  plenty,  and  content. 
As  to  the  products  of  this  locality,  they  are  mostly 
figured  porcelain,  embroidered  silks,  japaned  goods, 
ebony  and  shell  finely  carved  and  manufactured  into 
ornaments.  Every  little  low  house  has  a  shop  in 
front,  and  is,  as  usual,  quite  open  to  the  street ;  but 
small  as  these  houses  are,  room  is  nearly  always 
found  in  the  rear  or  side  for  a  little  flower-garden, 
fifteen  or  twenty  feet  square,  where  dwarf  trees 
flourish  amid  little  hillocks  of  turf,  and  ferns,  and 
small  tubs  of  gold  fish.  Azaleas,  laurels,  and  tiny 
clumps  of  bamboos  are  the  most  common  plants  to 
be  seen. 

This  indicates  a  pure  and  simple  taste  in  the  people, 
yet  there  is  a  system  of  social  debasement  through- 
out Japan,  which  was  here  so  obvious  that  it  cannot 
be  passed  without  notice.     It  is  no  worse,  perhaps, 


76  DUE   WEST. 

than  in  Vienna  or  Paris,  where  the  law  affords  it 
certain  sanction ;  but  when  realized  in  connection 
with  the  quiet,  peaceful  aspect  of  Japanese  domestic 
life,  the  contrast  renders  the  system  more  repulsive 
than  it  appears  elsewhere.  The  young  women  in 
these  public  establishments  are  really  slaves,  as  much 
as  Circassian  girls  sold  into  Turkish  harems,  or  at 
Moorish  Tangier.  In  Japan  they  are  also  sold,  while 
yet  children,  by  their  parents,  for  this  purpose,  and  for 
a  period  of  ten  years.  At  the  close  of  their  term  such 
women  are  not  considered  disgraced,  and  are  eligible 
for  marriage,  frequently  being  sought  by  desirable 
husbands,  and  rearing  respectable  families.  The  Jap- 
anese are  not  immaculate,  and  primitive  innocence 
does  not  exist  among  them.  Virtue  in  women  before 
marriage  is  held  rather  lightly,  but  afterwards  they 
must  be  spotless,  otherwise  the  penalty  is  death. 

As  regards  the  flora  of  Japan  we  learned  some  in- 
teresting facts.  Though  the  country  is  densely  pop- 
ulated for  its  number  of  square  miles,  the  forest  area 
is  four  times  more  extensive  than  that  portion  brought 
under  cultivation.  Botanists  declare  its  vegetation  to 
be  the  richest,  as  well  as  the  most  varied,  of  any  por- 
tion of  the  globe.  The  cultivation  of  the  soil  is  skill- 
fully and  thoroughly  systematized,  the  greatest  possi- 
ble results  being  obtained  from  a  given  area.  This  is 
partly  due  to  a  system  of  thorough  enrichment,  applied 
in  the  form  of  liquid  manure,  and  entirely  by  hand. 
Its  flora  is  spontaneous  and  magnificent,  repaying 
the  least  attention  by  a  development  and  profuseness 
of  yield  that  is  surprising.  Next  in  importance  to 
the  product  of  rice,  which  is  the  staple  food  of  the 
people,  comes  that  of  the  mulberry  and  tea-plants,  one 
species  of  the  former  not  only  feeding  the  silk-worm^ 


THE  HARBOR   OF  NAGASAKI.  77 

but  also,  as  has  been  mentioned,  affording  the  fibre  of 
which  paper  is  made,  as  well  as  cordage  and  dress 
material.  In  usefulness  the  bamboo  is  most  remark- 
able, growing  to  a  height  of  fifty  or  sixty  feet,  and  en- 
tering into  the  construction  of  house-frames,  screen^, 
mats,  pipes,  and  sails.  The  umbrella-pine  grows  to  a 
height  of  a  hundred  feet,  with  dense  foliage,  and  the 
cedars  reach  two  hundred  feet,  with  a  girth  of  twenty, 
which  is,  however,  far  exceeded  by  the  noble  cam- 
phor-trees. The  camphor  of  commerce  is  extracted 
from  the  stem  and  roots,  cut  into  small  pieces,  by  a 
simple  process  of  decoction. 

As  at  San  Francisco,  there  is  an  abundance  of  birds 
hovering  constantly  about  the  harbor  of  Nagasaki,  not 
sea-gulls,  but  a  brown  fishing-hawk,  which  here  seems 
to  take  the  place  of  the  gull,  swooping  down  upon  its 
finny  prey  after  the  same  fashion,  and  uttering  a  wild, 
shrill  cry  when  doing  so.  Another  peculiarity  about 
this  feathery  fisherman  is  that  he  affects  the  rigging 
of  ships  lying  at  anchor,  and  roosts  in  the  shrouds  or 
on  the  spars,  which  a  sea-gull  or  other  ocean  bird  is 
rarely  known  to  do.  This  harbor,  in  its  sheltered 
character,  resembles  a  Swiss  or  Scotch  lake,  many  of 
its  peculiarities  being  identical  with  them.  The  hills 
spring  from  the  very  water's  edge,  and  the  pine  is 
the  prevailing  tree ;  the  principal  difference  being  an 
inclination  here  to  more  tropical  verdure  than  in  the 
localities  referred  to.  The  bay  is  nearly  land-locked, 
and  while  a  pretty  heavy  gale  may  be  blowing  just 
outside,  the  surface  of  the  harbor  would  be  scarcely 
ruffled. 

The  ship  took  in  coal  here  after  a  style  quite  Japa- 
nese. Large  flat  boats  came  alongside,  each  laden 
with  many  tons  of  coal  from  a  native  mine  near  at 


78  DUE    WEST. 

hand ;  and  a  broad  port-hole  being  opened  near  the 
ship's  coal  bunks,  a  line  of  Japanese  girls  and  boys, 
each  not  more  than  twelve  or  thirteen  years  of  age, 
was  formed  upon  a  gangway  reaching  from  the  bunks 
down  the  ship's  side  to  the  coal  barge.  Along  this 
line  of  girls  and  boys  were  rapidly  passed  baskets  of 
coal,  which  might  weigh  from  sixty  to  eighty  pounds 
each,  so  fast  as  to  form  one  continuous  stream  of  the 
article  discharging  on  board.  The  empty  baskets 
were  passed  back  into  the  coaling  barge  by  a  line  of 
younger  girls  at  another  port-hole,  being  refilled  by 
a  third  gang  in  the  boat.  The  line  of  full  coal  baskets 
would  not  be  broken  once  in  an  hour,  until  the  barge 
was  emptied  and  another  hauled  alongside  to  be  sim- 
ilarly discharged.  It  was  remarkable  how  quickly 
the  ship  took  on  board  her  necessary  supply  of  fuel 
in  this  manner,  and  how  steadily  those  young  be- 
grimed children  worked  all  day.  The  local  agent 
told  us  they  were  paid  for  the  ten  or  twelve  hours' 
work  fifteen  cents  each.  Their  boiled  rice  and  dried 
fish  would  cost  them  four  or  five  cents  for  the  day, 
and  so  they  would  be  able  to  save  ten  cents.  Cloth- 
ing does  not  enter  into  cost  when  it  is  not  worn,  and 
these  little  imps  were  as  nearly  naked  as  was  possible. 
They  stopped  work  for  about  twenty-five  minutes  at 
meridian,  and  were  served  each  with  a  bowl  of  rice 
and  fish,  which  they  dispatched  with  chopsticks,  then 
drank  a  lacquered  bowl  of  hot  tea. 

An  extremely  interesting  month  had  been  passed 
in  the  country  which  we  were  now  about  to  leave  be- 
hind us,  and  should  have  been  glad  to  tarry  longer 
in,  but  our  arrangements,  to  a  certain  extent,  were 
imperative,  and  so  we  prepared  to  sail  southward, 
through  the  long  reach  of  the  China  Sea.     Some  re- 


JAPANESE  INTELLIGENCE.  79 

flections,  the  result  of  our  late  experience,  were  forced 
upon  us  at  this  juncture,  relative  to  the  people  whose 
brief  acquaintance  we  had  made. 

The  natural  intelligence  of  the  Japanese  has  no 
superior  among  any  race,  however  much  it  may  be 
perverted,  or  have  lain  dormant  for  want  of  stimu- 
lus. There  is  evidence  sufficient  of  this  in  the  fact 
that  the  young  men  of  Japan,  who  are  sent  to  this 
country  for  educational  purposes,  so  frequently  win 
academic  prizes  and  honors  over  our  native  schol- 
ars. This,  too,  notwithstanding  the  disadvantages 
under  which  a  foreigner  must  be  placed.  Instances 
of  the  brightness  of  their  natural  intelligence  have 
been  so  numerous  in  our  colleges  and  educational  in- 
stitutions as  to  cause  public  remark.  It  is  therefore 
safe  to  say  that  the  mental  capacity  of  the  Japa- 
nese youth  is  certainly  equal  to  those  of  our  own  in 
the  same  class  of  society.  No  sooner  have  they  been 
fairly  introduced  to  American  and  European  civiliza- 
tion than  they  have  taken  a  stride,  of  four  or  five 
centuries  at  a  single  leap,  from  feudalism  in  its  most 
ultra  form  to  constitutional  government.  When  an 
American  squadron  opened  the  port  of  Yokohama,  in 
1853,  to  the  commerce  of  the  world,  it  also  opened 
that  hermetically  sealed  land  to  the  introduction  of 
progressive  ideas  ;  and  though,  unfortunately,  the 
elements  of  civilization  which  are  most  readily  as- 
similated are  not  always  the  most  beneficial,  still,  the 
result,  taken  as  a  whole,  has  been  worthy  of  the  ad- 
miration of  the  world  at  large. 

When  we  speak  of  the  progress  of  the  Japanese 
as  a  nation,  we  must  not  forget  that  the  national 
records  of  the  country  date  from  nearly  seven  hun- 
dred years  before  the  time  of  Christ  on  earth,  and 


80  DUE   WEST. 

that  a  regular  succession  of  Mikados,  in  lineal  de- 
scent from  the  founders  of  their  dynasty  and  race, 
has  since  that  remote  date  been  carefully  preserved. 
Taking  the  Western  Powers  as  a  model,  the  Japa- 
nese have  not  failed  to  emulate  them  in  nearly  all  the 
prominent  features  of  civilization,  promptly  furnish- 
ing themselves  with  rifled  cannon  and  torpedo  boats, 
with  newspapers  and  a  national  debt.  As  we  have 
remarked,  the  army  and  civil  ofiicers  have  long  since 
adopted  the  American  costume.  The  railroad  and 
the  telegraph,  too  much  of  an  innovation  for  the 
more  pretentious  Chinese,  are  quite  domesticated  in 
Japan.  But  still  it  is  really  to  be  hoped  that  the 
progressive  spirit,  so  apparent  in  the  policy  of  the 
Mikado  and  his  advisers,  may  not  quite  obliterate  all 
traces  of  the  antique  and  picturesque  customs  of  a 
country  so  peculiar  and  original. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

Bail  for  Hong  Kong.  —  Ocean  Storms.  —  Sunset  at  Sea.  —  A  Water- 
Spout. —  Arrival  in  China.  —  Typhou  Bay.  —  Manners  and  Cus- 
toms. —  In  and  about  Hong  Kong.  —  Public  Buildings —  Voyage 
up  the  Pearl  River.  —  City  of  Canton.  —  Strangest  of  Strange 
Cities.  —  Opium  Dens.  —  Temple  of  Honan.  —  The  Worship  of 
Swine.  —  Praying  with  a  Fan.  —  Local  Peculiarities.  —  Half  Round 
the  World. —  Singapore. — A  Tiger  Hunt.  —  Burial  at  Sea. — 
Penang.  —  The  Wonderful  Palm. 

We  sailed  from  Nagasaki  early  on  the  morning  of 
November  29th,  in  the  same  steamship,  the  Niigata 
Marii,  which  had  brought  us  from  Kobd,  being  now 
bound  for  Hong  Kong,  through  the  Yellow  and 
China  Seas,  a  distance  of  eleven  hundred  miles. 
These  are  proverbially  rough  waters,  and  they  fully 
sustained  their  reputation  for  the  first  two  days  of 
the  voyage.  The  marvel  seemed  rather  to  be  that 
more  ships  were  not  lost  here,  than  that  so  many 
were.  It  is  really  little  better  than  a  vast  graveyard 
for  commerce.  Our  staunch  iron  hull  was  tossed 
about  like  a  feather  in  the  wind,  causing  us  to  realize 
that  there  is  something  awfully  grand  in  these  ocean 
storms,  uncomfortable  as  they  are. 

Our  crew  was  composed  of  Japanese,  and  excellent 
sailors  they  are,  quiet,  obedient,  and  untiring.  Sea 
life  is  very  similar  in  nearly  all  latitudes,  and  affords 
but  few  incidents  worthy  of  recording.  An  old  sea- 
captain  told  the  author,  some  years  since,  that  the 
finest  sunsets  he  had  ever  seen  were  in  these  waters, 
off  the  coast  of  Cochin  China,  and  that  it  was  a  pecul- 


82  DUE   WEST. 

iarity  of  the  region ;  or,  to  use  his  own  words,  "  First, 
we  would  have  a  typhoon  that  shivered  our  sails  into 
threads,  and  then  a  sunset  that  looked  like  a  scene 
in  a  theatre."  Allowance  was  made  in  this  instance 
for  a  fancied  charm  brought  about  by  the  great  con- 
trast of  a  raging  storm  followed  by  a  serene  night- 
fall. It  seemed  as  though  we  had  witnessed  as  fine 
exhibitions  of  Nature  in  this  line,  both  in  Europe 
and  America,  as  could  be  enjoyed,  but  an  agreeable 
surprise  was  in  store  for  us. 

We  had  crossed  the  southern  portion  of  the  Yel- 
low Sea,  and  having  run  down  the  Corean  Straits, 
with  the  Loo-Choo  Islands  under  our  lee,  were  sail- 
ing southward  upon  the  China  Sea.  It  was  the  2d  of 
December,  and  we  too  were  now  off  the  coast  of  Co- 
chin China.  Never  before  had  any  of  our  little  party 
witnessed  such  a  gorgeous  array  of  cloud  and  color 
effect ;  nor  was  the  display  fleeting.  The  peculiar 
aspect  lasted  for  half  an  hour  or  more,  full  of  change 
to  be  sure,  like  opal  hues,  hovering  and  evanescent, 
but  not  obliterated.  The  transparent  clouds  that 
hung  above  the  western  horizon,  as  dainty  in  form 
and  texture  as  a  butterfly's  wings,  were  tinted  with 
turquoise  blue.  Immediately  over  the  section  where 
the  sun  had  so  lately  disappeared,  the  gradations 
of  color  were  multiform  and  brilliant,  fading  into 
each  other's  embrace.  Close  to  the  water  line,  where 
sky  and  ocean  mingled,  there  was  a  mound  of  quiv- 
ering flame  that  seemed  like  burning  lava  pouring, 
from  some  volcanic  source.  This  lavish  display  of 
iris  hues  was  softly  reflected  by  the  vapory  tissue 
of  clouds  that  hung  over  the  opposite  expanse  ;  the 
shades  changing  to  ruby  and  sapphire  tints  alter- 
nately, until  the  east  almost  rivaled  the  west  in  the 


LANDING  AT  HONG  KONG.  83 

gorgeousness  of  its  robes.  In  the  mean  time  the  sea, 
now  wonderfully  calm,  expanding  into  infinite  space, 
reproduced  upon  its  shimmering  surface,  as  in  a  mir- 
ror, this  magic  array  of  color  permeated  by  the  amber 
twilight.  Gradually  the  curtain  of  night  dropped 
over  the  scene,  but  there  still  lingered  a  long  crimson 
line  on  the  distant  horizon  where  the  sun  had  sunk 
into  the  sea.  The  most  careless  eye  on  board  the  ship 
watched  the  constantly  changing  effects  with  bated 
breath.  Nature  revels  in  beauty,  and  does  her  work 
with  a  lavish  hand  in  the  far  East.  It  has  been  our 
lot  to  see  the  sun  set  in  many  lands  and  on  many 
seas,  but  never  before  in  such  gorgeous  splendor. 

Just  at  night,  December  4th,  we  arrived  below 
Hong  Kong,  dropping  anchor  in  Typhon  Bay,  where, 
among  the  dark  shadows  of  the  cliff-like  shore,  we 
watched  the  stars  overhead  and  the  long  bright  wake 
cast  by  the  light-house,  counted  the  small  dancing 
hghts  in  the  native  settlements  on  the  shore,  and  won- 
dered what  Hong  Kong  was  like. 

With  the  early  morning  light  we  steamed  up  to 
the  magnificent  harbor,  surrounded  by  a  range  of 
lofty  hills,  rendering  it  a  shelter  and  affording  depth 
of  water  sufficient  for  any  known  tonnage.  Its  exten- 
sive area  was  well  covered  with  ships  of  war  and  mer- 
chantmen, bearing  the  flags  of  all  nations,  among 
which  the  Stars  and  Stripes  gladdened  our  eyes. 
Hong  Kong  signifies  "  good  harbor  "  in  Chinese,  and 
the  name  is  well  applied.  This  is  the  most  easterly 
possession  of  Great  Britain,  which  she  has  taken  care 
to  render  very  strong  in  a  military  point  of  view,  and 
where  a  large  number  of  troops  are  constantly  kept. 
The  scarlet  uniforms  of  the  garrison  form  a  striking 
feature  of  the  busy  streets,  at  all  hours  of  the  day. 


64  DUE   WEST, 

The  houses  in  the  European  section  of  the  city  are 
large  and  handsome  structures,  mostly  of  stone,  rising 
tier  upon  tier  from  the  main  street  to  a  height  of  some 
hundreds  of  feet  on  the  face  of  the  hill  immediately 
back  of  the  town.  On  and  about  the  lofty  Victoria 
Peak  are  many  charming  bungalows,  with  attractive 
surroundings,  and  a  noble  prospect  of  the  harbor  and 
country.  The  streets  appropriated  to  the  occupancy 
of  the  Europeans  are  spacious  and  clean,  but  the 
Chinese  portion  of  Hong  Kong  is  quite  characteristic 
of  the  race,  —  very  crowded  and  very  dirty,  seeming 
to  invite  all  sorts  of  epidemic  diseases ;  and  conse- 
quently  the  mortality  is  very  great  and  sweeping  at 
times,  promoted  by  ignorance  and  excess  among 
strangers  and  seamen. 

One  soon  learns  to  detect  an  opium-eating  people, 
and  here  we  found  examples  all  about  us  in  every 
relation  of  life.  It  is  a  vice  nearly  alwaj^s  pursued 
in  secret,  but  its  traces  upon  the  heavy,  bleared  eye 
and  sallow  features  are  plain  and  disfiguring  enough. 
The  disgraceful  trade  in  the  fatal  drug,  forced  upon 
China  by  the  English  at  the  point  of  the  bayonet, 
flourishes  and  increases,  forming  the  heaviest  item  of 
import.  It  seems  almost  incredible  that  a  people  can 
long  exist  and  consume  such  large  quantities  of  this 
active  poison.  Other  forms  of  stimulants  are  seldom 
resorted  to  by  the  natives,  and  an  intoxicated  person 
is  scarcely,  if  ever,  met  with  among  the  Chinese  popu- 
lation. As  to  Europeans,  it  is  the  same  here  as  it  is 
k\  India,  the  habit  of  drinking  freely  of  spirituoue 
liquors  is  universal,  and  one  half  the  invalidism  which 
is  attributed  to  climate  should  be  ascribed  to  indul- 
gence in  hard  drinking. 

The  streets  of  Hong  Kong  afford  strange  local  pic- 


IDEAL  JOHN  CHINAMAN.  85 

tures.  The  shoemaker  industriously  plies  his  trade 
in  the  open  thoroughfare ;  cooking  goes  on  in  the 
gutters  beside  the  sidewalks  filling  the  atmosphere 
with  greasy  odors ;  the  itinerant  peddler,  with  a 
wooden  box  hung  from  his  neck,  disposes  of  food 
made  from  mysterious  sources ;  the  street  barber  is 
seen  actively  employed  out  of  doors ;  the  milkman 
drives  his  goats  to  the  customer's  door  and  there 
milks  the  required  quantity ;  the  Chinese  themselves 
ignore  the  article  altogether.  The  universal  fan  is 
carried  by  men,  not  by  women,  and  when  the  owner 
is  not  using  it,  he  thrusts  it  in  the  back  of  his  neck 
with  the  handle  protruding.  Sedan  chairs  are  rush- 
ing hither  and  thither,  borne  upon  men's  shoulders, 
transporting  both  natives  and  Europeans  on  business 
errands.  Here,  as  in  southern  Italy,  one  observes  a 
propensity  to  eat,  sleep,  live,  and  die  in  the  streets, 
exhibited  by  the  mass  of  the  population. 

Imagine  a  short,  slouchy  figure,  with  sloping  eyes, 
a  yellow  complexion,  features  characterized  by  a  sort 
of  low  cunning,  a  shaved  head  with  a  pigtail,  clad  in 
a  loose  cloth  blouse,  half  shirt  and  half  jacket,  con- 
tinuations not  exactly  pants  nor  yet  a  petticoat,  and 
shoes  thick-soled  and  shearing  upwards  like  a  Madras 
surf-boat,  and  you  have  John  Chinaman  as  he  ap- 
pears at  home.  The  portrait  is  universal.  One  Chi- 
naman is  as  like  another  as  two  peas,- — a  uniformity 
often  leading  to  ludicrous  mistakes.  John  eats  prin- 
cipally rice.  It  is  in  fact  the  basis  of  all  his  dishes, 
which  are  varied  by  the  addition  of  dried  fish  and 
vegetables,  adding  occasionally  such  portions  of  ani- 
mals as  are  usually  thrown  away  by  civilized  people. 
Rats,  cats,  and  dogs  are  not  declined  by  his  omnivo- 
rous appetite,  and  he  is  charged  with  craving  nearly 


86  DUE   WEST, 

all  sorts  of  vermin,  such  as  snakes,  slugs,  scorpion's 
eggs,  and  caterpillars,  which  he  complacently  adds  to 
his  stews.  Without  the  physical  strength  or  size  of 
Europeans,  he  makes  up  in  industry  what  he  lacks 
in  muscle;  and  as  his  food  costs  about  one  fifth  the 
sum  which  we  generally  calculate  necessary  for  a  com- 
mon laborer,  he  can  work  much  cheaper,  and  still  lay 
up  money  from  his  wages. 

Certain  peculiarities  challenge  our  observation. 
The  Chinese  mariner's  compass  does  not  point  to 
the  north  pole,  but  to  the  south ;  that  is,  the  index 
is  placed  on  the  opposite  end  of  the  needle.  When 
Chinamen  meet  each  other  in  the  street,  instead  of 
mutually  grasping  hands,  they  shake  their  own  hands. 
The  men  wear  skirts  and  the  women  wear  pants. 
The  men  wear  their  hair  as  long  as  it  will  grow,  the 
women  bind  theirs  up  as  snug  as  possible.  The  dress- 
makers are  not  women,  but  men.  The  spoken  lan- 
guage is  never  written,  and  the  written  language  is 
never  spoken.  In  reading  a  book  the  Chinaman  be- 
gins at  the  end  and  reads  backwards ;  all  notes  in  the 
books  appear  at  the  top  of  the  page  in  place  of  the 
.bottom,  as  with  us.  White  is  the  mourning  color, 
not  black ;  surnames  precede  the  given  names ;  ves- 
sels are  launched  sideways,  not  endways  ;  in  mount- 
ing a  horse  the  Chinese  do  so  from  the  off-side.  At 
dinner  we  commence  the  meal  with  soup  and  fish, 
they  reverse  the  order  and  begin  with  the  dessert. 
Grown  up  men  fly  kites,  and  boys  look  on  admiringly; 
our  bridesmaids  are  young  and  dressed  in  white,  theirs 
are  old  women  clad  in  black ;  and  so  on. 

From  its  special  position  in  the  East,  Hong  Kong 
is  the  resort  of  all  sorts  of  people,  from  all  quarters 
of  the  globe.     England  is  of  course  the  most  strongly 


TRADE  AND  ITS  ODDITIES,  8T 

represented.  There  are  comparatively  very  few 
Americans,  but  plenty  of  French  and  Germans,  the 
latter  mostly  Jews  and  money  lenders.  There  are 
numbers  of  East  Indians,  Italians,  Portuguese,  and 
Spaniards,  with  here  and  there  a  Parsee,  making 
altogether  a  population  which  reminds  one  of  Mar- 
seilles in  its  conglomerate  character.  These  several 
races,  mingling  with  the  Chinese,  make  up  an  incon- 
gruous community.  An  early  morning  visit  to  the 
water  front  of  the  city  affords  much  amusement, 
especially  at  the  hour  when  the  market  boats  arrive 
from  the  country,  and  from  along  shore,  with  fish 
and  vegetables.  Here  the  people  swarm  like  ants 
or  bees  more  than  like  human  beings,  all  eager  for 
business,  all  crowding  and  talking  at  the  same  time, 
and  creating  a  confusion  that  would  seem  to  defeat 
its  own  object,  namely,  to  buy  and  to  sell.  The 
vegetables  are  various  and  good  ;  the  variety  of  fruit 
limited  and  poor  in  flavor  ;  but  the  fish  are  abundant 
and  various  in  shape,  size,  and  colors.  Nine  tenths 
of  the  business  on  the  river  front  is  done  by  women, 
and  nearly  all  have  an  infant  strapped  to  their  backs, 
while  they  carry  heavy  burdens  in  their  hands,  or 
are  engaged  in  rowing  or  sculling  their  boats.  They 
carry  on  trade,  make  change,  clean  fish,  and  the  like, 
quite  oblivious  of  the  infants  at  their  backs.  Babies 
thus  managed  are  often  shaken  about  most  unmerci- 
fully, and  among  Europeans  would  assert  themselves 
by  the  loudest  screeching;  but  who  ever  heard  a 
Chinese  or  Japanese  baby  cry  ? 

The  environs  of  Hong  Kong  are  extremely  inter- 
esting, and  the  roads  are  kept  in  most  admirable  con- 
dition. The  jinrikisha  is  the  common  mode  of  con- 
veyance, though  the  palanquin  is  perhaps  nearly  as 


88  DUE   WEST, 

much  used.  The  introduction  of  the  former  veliicle 
into  both  China  and  Japan  is  of  quite  recent  date. 
We  enjoyed  several  expeditions  in  the  suburbs  by 
both  means  of  transportation,  the  charges  being 
extremely  moderate.  The  Japanese  jinrikisha  men 
seemed  lighter,  yet  more  muscular,  than  do  their  Chi- 
nese brethren  when  between  the  shafts  ;  and  the  lat- 
ter, after  a  few  miles,  exhibited  symptoms  of  fatigue, 
whereas,  on  a  long  thirty-five  mile  trip,  this  was  never 
observed  in  a  Japanese  :  either  he  was  superior  in 
pluck  or  muscles,  or  both,  to  John  Chinaman. 

The  English  burial-ground,  located  about  three 
miles  from  the  town,  is  a  very  beautiful  cemetery, 
and  is  to  Hong  Kong  what  Mount  Auburn  is  to  Bos- 
ton, —  not  quite  so  extensive,  but  superior  in  its  col- 
lection of  flowers  and  trees,  which  must  have  been 
gathered  and  naturalized  here  at  a  great  cost.  The 
varieties  of  the  cactus  family  are  remarkable  in  num- 
bers and  mode  of  training.  The  same  may  be  said 
of  the  camphor- tree,  the  aloes,  tall  and  graceful 
cypresses,  mingling  with  which  are  Cape  jasmines, 
hydrangeas,  magnolias,  and  the  scarlet  geranium,  tall 
and  hedge-like,  backed  by  white,  variegated,  and  scar- 
let camellias.  Everything  indicated  a  semi-tropical 
climate.  These  Chinese  gardeners  exhibit  great  skill 
and  genius  in  the  cultivation  of  all  plants,  and  land- 
scape gardening  is  carried  far  beyond  our  ideas  of 
the  art  in  America.  Some  flowering  shrubs,  on  close 
examination,  proved  to  be  old  friends,  but  so  trained 
and  developed  as  to  be  hardly  recognizable.  We  ob- 
served a  curious  mode  of  grafting  plants  so  as  to 
cause  several  species  to  blossom  on  the  same  branch, 
thus  forming,  as  it  were,  a  growing  bouquet.  The 
samples  of  dwarf  trees  were  also  very  singular, — a  lit* 


THE  SIKHS.  'B9 

tie  orange-tree,  for  instance,  bearing  an  orange  weigh- 
ing more  than  itself,  and  lemons  so  arranged  as  to 
grow  by  grafting  in  and  with  an  orange.  It  was  an 
agreeable  sight  to  see  choice  bouquets  for  sale  on  the 
public  streets,  containing  a  great  variety  of  flowers 
arranged  with  genuine  taste,  a  little  too  formal  and 
stiff  to  meet  our  fancy,  but  yet  finding  ready  cus- 
tomers at  reasonable  prices.  In  Madrid,  Florence,  or 
Paris,  it  is  sunny-faced  girls  who  offer  these  fragrant 
emblems  to  the  passer-by ;  but  at  Hong  Kong  it  is 
done  with  less  effect  by  almond-eyed  men  and  ragged 
boys.  The  city  is  so  far  Europeanized  as  to  be  less 
typical  of  Chinese  manners  and  customs  than  are 
cities  further  inland ;  but  revelations  come  upon  us 
with  less  of  a  shock  when  mingled,  as  they  are  here, 
with  more  civilized  methods. 

The  policemen  of  Hong  Kong  are  Sikhs,  whom  the 
English  government  have  imported  from  India  for 
this  special  service.  These  officers  are  under  excellent 
discipline.  They  are  tall,  dark,  and  heavily  bearded 
men,  presenting  quite  a  striking  appearance  in  their 
semi  -  military  uniforms.  Of  course  they  have  no 
sympathy  with  the  Chinese,  who  cower  under  the 
police  batons,  which  are  ruthlessly  used  when  deemed 
necessary.  Society  in  the  city  is  entirely  English,  and, 
to  use  an  expressive  word,  is  "  fast."  Balls,  races, 
regattas,  and  fetes  of  all  kinds  follow  each  other  with 
ceaseless  energy.  The  gayety  of  domestic  and  social 
life,  and  the  luxurious  mode  of  living  generally,  ex- 
ceed that  of  any  European  colony  we  have  chanced 
to  meet  with.  Club  life,  evening  entertainments,  and 
late  hours,  are  the  characteristics  of  Hong  Kong ;  the 
serious  affairs  of  life  seem  to  have  been  left  at  home 
in  far-off  England,  —  an  inevitable  result  where  the 


90  DUE   WEST, 

military  element  enters  so  largely  into  the  commu- 
nity. 

It  was  represented  to  us,  and  so  appeared  upon  ob- 
servation, that  the  well  known  practice  of  compress- 
ing the  feet  of  the  females  from  their  birth  was  a 
gradually  declining  custom.  Some  few  middle-aged 
women  were  met  with  in  the  streets  whose  feet  had 
been  thus  treated  in  infancy,  and  who  hobbled  about 
with  much  difficulty,  but  no  young  girls  were  to  be 
seen  thus  hampered.  When  this  hideous  deformity 
has  been  adopted,  the  knee  and  ankle  joints  do  not 
bend  at  all  in  walking;  all  movement  is  from  the 
thigh  joints,  a  mincing  gait  is  imparted,  and  the  arms 
swing  from  side  to  side,  the  whole  body  being  at  all 
times  liable  to  topple  over.  A  traveler  is  not  com- 
petent, however,  to  speak  of  the  higher  classes  of 
women,  as  no  access  is  afforded  to  domestic  life  in 
wealthy  families.  Only  women  of  the  common  class 
appear  indiscriminately  in  public.  Oriental  exclusive- 
ness  wrapping  itself  about  the  sex  in  China  nearly  as 
rigidly  as  in  Egypt.  If  women  go  abroad  at  all,  it  is 
in  curtained  palanquins,  quite  hidden  from  the  public 
eye,  or  at  most  only  partially  visible  through  semi- 
transparent  veils  of  gauze.  Anywhere  east  of  Italy 
woman  is  a  toy  or  a  slave. 

The  European  portion  of  Hong  Kong  consists  al- 
most entirely  of  one  broad  avenue,  called  Victoria 
Road,  which  is  the  Broadway  or  Washington  Street 
of  the  city,  and  which  runs  parallel  with  the  shore 
front,  from  which  it  is  separated  by  a  single  block. 
This  thoroughfare  is  well  paved,  and  is  mostly  lined 
with  attractive  stores,  hotels,  and  club-houses,  with  a 
few  dwellings  intermixed.  The  intersecting  streets 
are  in  many  cases  so  steep  as  to  be  ascended  by  broad 


THE  PEARL   RIVER.  91 

stone  steps,  like  portions  of  Naples  and  Rome.  After 
leaving  the  Victoria  Road,  one  plunges  immediately 
into  Chinese  life  among  narrow  lanes  and  crowded, 
dirty  abodes,  like  China  Town  at  San  Francisco,  such 
dwellings  as  are  only  to  be  found  in  the  midst  of  a 
miserable  and  degraded  condition  of  humanity.  The 
river  or  harbor  front  is  lined  with  lofty  European 
warehouses,  and  some  good  residences, — half  devoted 
to  business,  however,  the  locality  being  mostly  given 
up  to  the  requirements  of  commerce.  It  will  be  re- 
membered that  Hong  Kong  is  an  island,  nearly  forty 
miles  in  circumference,  consisting  of  a  cluster  of  hills 
rising  almost  to  the  dignity  of  mountains.  The  gray 
granite,  of  which  the  island  is  mostly  composed,  af- 
fords an  excellent  material  for  building  purposes,  and 
is  largely  employed  for  that  object.  Nearly  all  the 
public  buildings  are  constructed  of  this  granite,  which 
presents  a  fine  appearance,  and  affords  good  oppor- 
tunity for  architectural  display. 

The  side-wheel  steamer  Han  Kow  was  taken  for 
a  passage  up  the  Pearl  River  to  Canton,  the  commer- 
cial capital  of  China,  situated  a  little  less  than  one 
hundred  miles  from  Hong  Kong.  The  steamer  had 
some  two  or  three  hundred  Chinese  passengers,  who 
were  partitioned  off  in  a  part  of  the  vessel  by  them- 
selves, and  securely  locked,  away  from  the  European 
passengers.  In  the  cabin,  ranged  about  the  foremast, 
were  a  dozen  loaded  repeating  arms,  rifles,  and  pistols 
for  the  use  of  the  whites,  in  case  the  Chinese  should 
rise  and  attempt  an  act  of  piracy  by  taking  the  ship. 
This  has  more  than  once  been  done  upon  the  Pearl 
River,  and  the  steamboat  company  now  goes  prepared 
to  visit  condign  punishment  upon  such  offenders. 

In  passing  up  the  river,  on  board  the  Han  Kow, 


92  DUE    WEST. 

a  fine  view  was  afforded  of  the  farming  and  vegeta- 
tion of  the  country.  Banana,  orange,  sugar-cane,  and 
tea  culture,  in  their  various  stages,  were  in  distinct 
view,  the  steamer  at  times  nearly  grazing  the  right 
or  left  bank,  and  being  obliged  to  move  slowly  on 
account  of  shallow  water  in  the  winding  channel. 
Strange  birds,  brilliant  flowers,  and  remarkable  trees 
trained  to  grow  in  the  shape  of  men  and  animals, 
were  seen  bordering  the  plantations.  Great  fertil- 
ity of  soil,  however  it  might  be  induced,  was  man- 
ifested on  all  hands,  and  the  vegetation  exhibited 
tropical  luxuriance.  The  number  of  small  fishing- 
boats  upon  the  river  was  quite  marked,  showing  from 
whence  came  a  large  percentage  of  the  daily  food  of 
the  humbler  classes.  These  boats  seemed  to  be  almost 
entirely  rowed  and  managed  by  women,  always  with 
the  inevitable  baby  at  their  backs,  sometimes  sleep- 
ing, sometimes  gazing  vacantly  about,  but  always 
quiet  and  contented. 

The  river  is  nearly  two  miles  broad  on  an  average, 
sometimes  opening  into  bays  of  considerable  size,  six 
or  eight  miles  across,  and  thus  forming  a  water-way 
of  immense  importance  in  a  country  where  railroads 
are  unknown.  The  canals  and  rivers  of  China  are  her 
great  dependence,  her  inland  highways  or  roads  being 
unworthy  of  the  name,  —  exhibiting  one  of  the  most 
prominent  features  of  the  lack  of  national  enterprise. 
China  looks  to  the  past,  not  to  the  future.  Some  ad- 
vance has  been  forced  upon  her  in  the  art  of  war. 
She  no  longer  fights  with  fans,  gongs,  and  fire-crack- 
ers, but  "  shoots  bullets  every  time,"  as  the  French 
found  to  their  most  serious  cost  very  lately.  The  re- 
moteness of  the  country  from  the  centres  of  civiliza- 
tion, the  exclusiveness  of  the  government,  the  almost 


CANTON.  93 

incomprehensible  character  of  the  spoken  language, 
—  entirely  different  from  the  written  tongue,  —  has 
always  excited  curiosity,  and  thrown  a  halo  of  ro- 
mance over  everything  Chinese.  This  false  glamour, 
however,  disappears,  Hke  dew  before  the  sun,  by  per- 
sonal observation,  and  is  superseded  by  something 
like  a  sense  of  contempt.  The  missionaries  of  sci- 
ence, commerce,  and  of  religion  have  done  much 
within  the  last  twenty  years  to  dispel  the  extravagant 
ideas  entertained  of  the  Celestial  Empire,  and  have 
shown  us  that  the  race  is  by  no  means  celestial,  but  a 
people  very  much  like  the  rest  of  the  Eastern  nations, 
certainly  no  more  civilized. 

Canton  is  the  strangest  of  all  strange  cities,  and 
perhaps  the  most  representative  one  in  China.  With 
a  population  of  a  million  and  a  half,  it  has  not  a 
street  within  its  walls  over  eight  feet  wide.  Horses 
and  vehicles  are  unknown.  Even  the  useful  and  com- 
fortable jinrikisha  could  not  be  used  here,  where 
everything  to  be  moved  must  be  transported  on  hu- 
man shoulders.  The  city  extends  to  about  a  distance 
of  four  miles  on  the  banks  of  the  Pearl  River,  and 
fully  a  hundred  thousand  people  live  in  boats  along 
the  river  front.  The  families  occupying  these  sam- 
pans will  average  at  least  four  individuals ;  a  man  and 
wife  with  two  children,  —  frequently  there  are  half  a 
dozen  of  the  latter.  These  boats  are  about  twenty 
feet  long  and  five  wide.  But  a  small  portion  of  the 
after  part  has  any  covering,  and  the  cooking  is  done 
in  the  bow.  Here  the  family  live,  —  cook,  eat,  and 
sleep,  knowing  no  other  home.  The  youngest  chil- 
dren are  often  seen  tied  to  the  thwarts,  and  if  they 
tumble  overboard  they  are  easily  pulled  back  again. 

There  are  hundreds  of  temples  distributed  over  the 


94  DUE   WEST. 

city,  many  of  which  were  visited  and  found  to  be 
crowded  with  idols  and  idlers,  though  we  never  saw 
a  Chinaman  praying  in  them.  The  corner  of  nearly 
every  street,  as  well  as  numerous  stores  and  dwelling- 
houses,  have  each  an  idol  and  small  shrine  on  which 
incense  is  kept  burning  all  the  time,  and  every  day 
of  the  year.  The  whole  city  is  permeated  with  the 
smell  of  this  highly  scented  incense,  and  though  used 
in  such  small  individual  quantities  the  consumption 
in  the  aggregate  must  be  very  large.  Of  the  nume- 
rous temples  and  pagodas  in  Canton  probably  the 
most  famous  is  that  of  the  Temple  of  the  Five  Hun- 
dred Gods,  containing  that  number  of  gilded  statues 
of  Buddhist  sages,  apostles,  and  deified  warriors. 
The  expressions  on  the  features  of  this, large  number 
of  statues  were  remarkable  in  the  fact  that  they  all 
differed  essentially  from  each  other ;  otherwise  they 
were  exceedingly  commonplace. 

Every  sort  of  manufacture  or  business  is  performed 
in  the  most  primitive  manner  by  hand,  machinery  of 
any  sort  being  scarcely  known  ;  but  personal  service 
or  labor  is  so  cheap  that  it  even  competes  with  ma- 
chinery. One  is  surprised  as  to  how  such  a  crowded 
community  can  exist  in  such  an  inconsiderable  space ; 
whole  families  live  and  sleep  in  a  single  small  room. 
The  Chinese,  in  point  of  domestic  comfort  and  clean- 
liness, are  a  century  behind  the  Japanese ;  and  this 
remark  will  apply  as  well  to  nearly  all  the  relations 
of  life.  There  is  less  of  nudity  here  than  in  the 
latter  country  ;  but,  so  far  as  one  can  judge  by  brief 
observation  and  inquiry,  morality  is  at  a  lower  gauge 
in  China  than  in  Japan.  It  is  doubtless  as  true  here 
as  elsewhere,  that  "  one  touch  of  nature  makes  the 
whole  world  kin,"  but  you  lack  the  touch  of  nature 


OPIUM  AND  ITS  EFFECTS.  95 

With  the  Japanese  the  traveler  feels  himself  sympa- 
thizing. He  goes  among  them  freely,  he  enters  their 
houses  and  drinks  tea  with  them,  but  not  so  with  the 
Chinese ;  here  we  realize  no  sense  of  affiliation,  but 
rather  one  of  repulsion.  The  universal  amusement 
is  that  of  gambling,  and  the  means  whereby  the  peo- 
ple gratify  this  passion  are  endless.  Dominos,  and 
several  similar  games,  are  most  popular  in  connection 
with  cards,  the  latter  game,  however,  differing  very 
materially  from  our  own.  The  Chinese  cards  num- 
ber a  hundred  to  the  pack.  Cock  fighting  is  univer- 
sal, and  is  as  much  of  a  national  game  as  at  Manilla. 
Our  guide,  who  was  an  intelligent  and  high-caste 
native,  took  us  into  one  of  the  opium  dens,  to  be 
found  in  nearly  every  street  of  Canton,  and  where  we 
saw  the  victims  of  the  terrible  indulgence  in  the  sev- 
eral stages  of  debasement.  A  number  of  the  smokers 
appeared  to  be  men  of  average  health  and  strength, 
but  all  had  the  dull,  vacant  eye  and  attenuated  forms 
of  the  victims  of  this  insidious  habit.  It  was  curious 
to  hear  the  guide  stoutly  defend  the  use  of  the  opium 
pipe.  He  declared  that  it  lengthened,  not  shortened, 
life  ;  besides  which  he  insisted  that  with  opium  one 
lived  a  double  life,  and  therefore  he  lived  twice  as 
long  as  he  would  do  without  it.  "Europeans  get 
drunk,"  said  he,  "  and  have  nasty  headache  ;  China- 
man smokes  opium,  enjoys  paradise  on  earth,  but  has 
no  headache."  Of  course  one  cannot  argue  with  an 
opium  consumer  to  any  good  effect.  The  habit  once 
acquired  is  never  successfully  abandoned,  There  is 
always  some  hope  of  reform  for  a  drunkard,  but  for 
an  opium-eater,  never.  No  statistics  of  a  reliable 
character  as  to  the  quantity  of  the  deadly  drug  which 
is  consumed  in  China  can  be  obtained,  but  the  aggre- 


96  DUE   WEST. 

gate  amount,  large  as  it  is  known  to  be,  is  yet  increas- 
ing. All  the  opium  which  can  be  obtained  from 
India  is  consumed  here,  beside  that  which  is  raised  in 
China ;  the  former  by  the  wealthier  classes,  the  latter 
by  the  poor,  —  the  home  product  being  cheaper  and 
much  inferior  in  quality. 

The  temples  generally  seemed  to  abound  with 
votive  offerings;  but  the  one  aim,  so  far  as  we  could 
understand,  was  to  appease  the  wrath  of  malignant 
deities.  These  gods,  it  would  appear,  are  largely 
composed  of  departed  ancestors,  and  the  power  of  such 
spirits  for  mischief  is  the  most  prominent  article  of 
Chinese  faith.  In  one  temple  was  observed  the  her» 
metically  sealed  coffin  of  some  lately  defunct  citizen, 
beside  whose  casket  an  abundant  meal  of  cooked  rice 
and  vegetables  was  conspicuously  placed.  This  prep- 
aration of  food  for  the  dead  and  buried  is  not,  how- 
ever, an  exclusive  Chinese  idea.  We  have  also  seen 
food  placed  by  the  side  of  newly-made  Italian  graves 
at  Genoa  and  Pisa,  and  our  Western  Indians  bury 
arms,  clothing,  and  dried  meats  with  the  bodies  of  de- 
ceased warriors.  It  is  known  that  reverence  for  par' 
ents  is  the  leading  moral  precept  of  Chinese  faith, 
and  more  than  that,  it  is  lived  up  to  upon  earth  by 
all  classes,  and  when  these  parents  die  they  are  ad- 
dressed spiritually  and  reverentially  as  guardians. 
At  the  entrance  of  the  temples  there  are  always  two 
large,  gilded  wooden  figures  or  idols,  considered  as  a 
sort  of  presiding  guard  over  the  place. 

We  visited  the  Temple  of  Honan,  a  place  of  great 
sanctity  to  the  natives.  The  service  is  conducted 
by  a  college  of  Buddhist  priests  resident  within  its 
walls.  The  institution  consists  of  a  group  of  shrines 
or  demi-temples  dedicated  to  special  gods,  and  stand- 


CHINESE  IDOLATRY,  97 

ing  within  enclosed  courts,  shaded  by  trees  of  great 
height,  size,  and  age,  the  grounds  covering  many  acres. 
At  the  main  entrance  are  placed,  as  usual,  two  hid- 
eous idols  of  colossal  size,  figures  half  animal  and  half 
human  in  design,  with  strangely  distorted  counte- 
nances. Here  the  shaven-headed  priests  were  busy 
performing  rites  and  chanting  before  burning  incense 
and  lighted  candles,  after  the  Roman  Catholic  style. 
Within  an  enclosure  were  a  number  of  sacred  hogs, 
wallowing  in  filth  like  any  other  swine.  Some  lively 
Chinese  boys  mounted  the  largest  of  these,  and  ex- 
tracting a  few  of  the  "  sacred  "  bristles  offered  them 
to  us  for  pennies.  Upon  our  inquiring  as  to  the  final 
disposition  of  these  animals,  our  guide,  himself  a  re- 
markably dignified  native,  with  "millions"  of  self- 
conceit,  admitted  that  the  fattest  of  the  lot  would 
probably  be  eaten  in  due  season.  We  shall  often 
have  occasion,  in  these  notes,  to  see  how  low  poor 
humanity  in  its  blindness  can  descend,  groveling  after 
strange  gods.  When  trying  to  analyze  the  frame  of 
mind  which  probably  actuated  these  people  in  mak- 
ing sacred  objects  of  swine,  the  thought  suggested  it- 
self that  after  all  it  might  be  an  instinctive  groping 
of  ignorance  after  light  and  truth.  Crude,  and  even 
disgusting  as  it  appears  to  an  intelligent  Christian, 
it  has  its  palliating  features.  The  Parsee  worships 
fire,  the  Japanese  bows  before  foxes  and  snakes,  the 
Hindu  deifies  cows  and  monkeys.  Why  should  not 
the  Chinese  have  their  swine  as  objects  of  venera- 
tion? There  are  certain  forms  of  what  is  called 
Christian  worship  which  are  by  no  means  above  com- 
parison with  even  Chinese  extravagance. 

Within  the  walls  of  this  Temple  of  Honan  was  a 
spacious  and  curious  garden,  where  the  dwarf  trees 
7 


98  DUE   WEST, 

and  flowering  shrubs  were  ingeniously  trimmed  to 
make  them  grow  in  the  foims  of  various  animals  ;  and 
here  was  a  large  pond  of  the  sacred  lotus  in  bloom, 
the  thin,  soft,  white  velvety  leaves  displaying  every 
line  and  vein  in  their  formation.  The  fragrance  was 
very  delicate.  In  the  poetical  language  of  the  East 
the  lotus  is  called  the  "  goddess  "  as  we  call  the  rose 
the  "  queen  "  of  flowers.  We  were  here  shown  the 
cremating  ovens  in  which  the  bodies  of  the  departed 
priests  are  disposed  of,  and  also  the  crude  cells  and 
the  large  refectory  of  the  order.  But  somehow  these 
priests,  who  pretend  to  lead  such  lives  of  self-denial, 
are  wonderfully  round  and  unctuous  in  personal  ap- 
pearance. Our  visit  to  the  Temple  of  Honan  was  a 
very  curious  and  not  uninteresting  experience,  made 
Up  of  a  strange  conglomerate  of  swine,  priests,  fat 
idols,  flower  gardens,  human  roasting  ovens,  and  pond 
lilies. 

All  over  Canton  may  be  seen  lofty  towers,  square 
in  form,  which  dominate  the  town.  Our  guide  called 
these  warehouses,  or  storehouses  for  the  safe  keeping 
of  goods,  they  being  both  fire-proof  and  thief-proof. 
But  further  inquiry  proved  them  to  be  a  series  of 
pawnbroker's  establishments.  In  summer  the  aver- 
age Chinaman  pawns  his  winter  clothing,  and  other 
articles  not  in  actual  use,  thus  enabling  him  to  em- 
ploy more  capital  in  his  business,  whatever  it  may 
be.  When  the  cold  weather  comes  he  redeems  his 
needed  clothing,  and  the  same  with  other  articles. 
So  universal  is  this  practice  that  hundreds  of  these 
tower-like  pawning  places  are  required  to  meet  the 
demands  of  the  citizens.  As  these  establishments 
are  supposed  to  be  fire-proof,  they  do  certainly  afford 
a  place  of  safety  for  valuable  articles  not  in  use,  the 


CRIMINAL  PUNISHMENT,  '  99 

owner  paying  storage  in  the  form  of  interest  for  the 
money  loaned,  the  goods  being  security. 

The  dwelling-house  and  pleasure-grounds  of  the 
late  Poon-tin-qua,  a  distinguished  and  rich  China- 
man, were  visited,  and  proved  to  be  typical  of  all 
Chinese  pictures.  Here  were  airy  summer-houses, 
pavilions,  bridges,  rockeries,  and  ornamental  sheets  of 
water,  as  we  see  these  thitigs  represented  on  lacquered 
ware,  decorated  China  dishes,  and  fans.  It  was  really 
very  curious  and  amusing,  and  showed  much  of  lux- 
urious life, — even  a  private  theatre  being  contained 
in  the  establishment.  Though  all  seem  to  be  deserted 
now  and  somewhat  neglected,  still  the  garden  showed 
us  roses,  camellias,  azaleas,  lilies,  and  green  shrubs 
trained  in  the  usual  grotesque  manner,  not  forgetting 
the  dwarf  trees,  which  seem  to  give  this  people  great 
satisfaction  when  successfully  cultivated. 

As  regards  the  punishment  of  crime  in  Canton, 
one  would  look  in  vain  for  justice,  but  there  is  plenty 
of  cruelty.  We  visited  the  execution  yard,  a  circum- 
scribed space  in  the  very  heart  of  the  city.  Here, 
our  guide  told  us,  twenty  condemned  prisoners  were 
executed  weekly,  by  decapitation,  each  Friday  being 
devoted  to  clearing  the  docket.  The  executioner 
takes  off  a  head  with  one  stroke  of  the  sword,  and 
the  guide  said  he  had  witnessed  the  decapitation  of 
eleven  heads  in  seven  minutes.  Through  a  grating 
in  the  wall  of  the  yard,  an  open  area  was  seen  where 
a  crowd  of  manacled  prisoners  were  sitting  upon  the 
ground,  no  shelter  being  afforded  them  night  or  day. 
The  place  was  more  filthy  than  a  cattle-pen,  —  so 
offensive  that  we  remained  but  a  few  moments.  It 
is  doubtful  if  anywhere  else  in  the  world  such  bar- 
barous carnage  and  cruelty  exists,  under  the  guise  of 
legal  punishment. 


iOO'  DUE   WEST, 

Mucb  lias  been  said  about  the  wonderful  Water- 
clock  of  Canton,  but  it  is  actually  a  very  simple  and 
crude  mode  of  measuring  time,  which  any  smart 
Yankee  school-boy  would  improve  upon.  It  consists 
of  four  tubs  of  water,  located  one  above  the  other  on 
a  wooden  frame,  each  dripping  slowly  into  the  one 
below  it,  the  last  being  furnished  with  a  float,  the 
rise  of  which  is  measured  on  a  graduated  scale,  indi- 
cating units  of  time ;  and  such  is  the  famous  Water- 
clock  of  Canton.  We  were  not  disposed  to  walk  any 
more  than  was  necessary  in  the  public  streets,  where 
the  foulest  odors  assailed  us  at  every  step,  and  dis- 
gusting sights  met  the  eye  in  the  form  of  diseased 
individuals  of  the  most  loathsome  type.  The  stranger 
is  jostled  by  staggering  coolies,  with  buckets  of  the 
vilest  contents,  or  importuned  for  alms  by  beggars 
who  thrust  their  deformed  limbs  into  his  very  face. 
It  is  but  natural  to  fear  contagion  of  some  sort 
from  contact  with  such  creatures,  and  yet  the  crowd 
is  so  dense  that  it  is  impossible  to  entirely  avoid 
them.  Underfoot  the  streets  are  wet,  muddy,  tortu- 
ous, and  slippery,  so  that  one  comes  from  them  with 
a  feeling  that  a  hot  bath  is  an  immediate  necessity. 
Why  some  deadly  pestilence  does  not  at  once  break 
out  and  sweep  away  the  people  is  a  mystery.  We 
know  that  the  Ghetto  at  Rome,  which  forms  the 
most  filthy  part  of  the  Eternal  City,  was  entirely 
spared  when  the  rest  of  the  place  was  decimated 
by  cholera ;  but  Canton  generally  is  far  dirtier  than 
the  Roman  Ghetto. 

As  we  found  it  almost  impossible  to  traverse  the 
streets  of  Canton  on  foot,  we  were  carried,  each  per- 
son, in  a  palanquin,  upon  tlie  shoulders  of  four  coolies. 
These  vehicles  can  make  their  way  through  the  nar- 


NARROW  LANES  OF  CANTON  101 

row  streets,  but  cannot  turn  round  in  them  without 
going  to  some  open  space  where  several  streets  meet. 
The  bearers  trudge  along,  keeping  step  with  each 
other,  and  uttering  a  loud,  peculiar  cry  to  clear  the 
way,  reminding  one  of  the  gondoliers  on  the  canals  of 
Venice.  People  were  obliged  to  step  into  shops  and 
doorways,  or  flatten  themselves  against  buildings,  in 
order  to  make  room  for  us  to  pass  in  the  palanquins, 
but  they  did  so  with  a  good  grace  and  took  it  quite 
as  a  matter  of  course.  Whenever  we  stopped  for  a 
trifling  purchase  or  to  visit  some  point  of  interest,  a 
small  crowd  was  sure  to  collect.  The  narrow  lanes 
are  lined  in  many  sections  by  stores  containing  very 
attractive  goods,  curiosities,  silks,  fine  China  ware, 
ivory,  scented  woods,  mother-of-pearl  and  carved  tor- 
toise shell,  all  goods  of  native  manufacture.  The  re- 
markable patience  and  imitative  skill  of  the  Chinese 
enables  them  to  produce  very  choice  goods  in  these 
lines  of  art.  The  shops  being  all  open  in  front,  the 
entire  contents  can  be  seen  by  the  passers-by.  Many 
of  these  passages  are  covered  over  at  the  top  by 
matting,  which  effectually  excludes  the  sun,  and,  in- 
deed, much  other  light,  so  that  they  often  have  a 
sombre  and  dreary  appearance. 

It  was  interesting  to  watch  the  operation  of  the 
primitive  hand-loom  in  which  is  woven  the  favorite 
Canton  silk.  The  fabric  is  beautiful  and  expensive, 
being  sold  by  the  pound  in  place  of  by  the  yard,  as 
with  us.  Men  and  boys  only  engage  in  silk  weav- 
ing. Women  assume  the  heavier  and  more  exposed 
branches  of  labor,  and  of  out-door-life,  besides  lugging 
their  infants.  Some  of  the  lofty  and  utterly  useless 
pagodas,  which  are  over  twelve  hundred  years  old, 
are  quite  unique  in  architecture  and  ornamentation. 


102  DUE    WEST, 

One  was  visited  which  was  nine  stories  high,  measur- 
ing in  a  vertical  line  about  two  hundred  feet.  Ob- 
serving a  woman  at  one  of  the  shrines  fanning  an 
idol,  the  guide  was  asked  for  an  explanation.  He 
said  that  the  woman  would  presently  take  this  fan 
home  with  which  to  fan  some  sick  person,  and  from 
this  process  would  hope  for  miraculous  intervention 
in  behalf  of  the  suffering  one.  '.'  And  do  you  believe 
there  is  any  efficacy  in  such  a  proceeding  ?"  we  asked. 
"  You  would  call  it  the  result  of  credulity  and  imagi- 
nation," was  his  intelligent  reply,  "  but  I  have  seen 
some  wonderful  cures  brought  about  after  this  man- 
ner. Do  not  people,  who  call  themselves  Christians, 
believe  in  prayer?"  "Most  certainly,"  we  replied. 
"  Well,"  continued  the  guide,  "  this  is  simply  Chinese 
prayer."  After  this  explanation,  the  queer  proceed- 
ing of  fanning  an  idol  seemed  less  strange.  That  was 
certainly  a  good  answer,  —  calling  it  Chinese  prayer. 
Undoubtedly  our  type  of  features  is  repulsive  to 
the  average  Chinaman,  certainly  his  is  very  much  so 
to  us.  One  looked  in  vain  among  the  smooth  chins, 
shaved  heads,  and  almond  eyes  of  the  crowd  for  signs 
of  intelligence  and  manliness.  There  are  no  tokens 
of  humor  or  cheerfulness  to  be  seen,  but  in  its  place 
there  is  plenty  of  cunning,  slyness,  and  deceit,  if  there 
is  any  truth  in  physiognomy.  The  men  look  like 
women  and  the  women  like  children,  except  that 
their  features  are  so  hard  and  forbidding.  The  bet- 
ter classes  wear  a  supercilious  expression  of  features 
that  makes  the  toes  of  one's  boots  tingle ;  and  yet  in 
all  the  shops  there  is  a  cringing  assiduity  to  get  all 
the  silver  and  pennies  from  the  outside  barbarians 
that  is  possible.  In  the  streets  there  was  a  most  un- 
mistakable surliness  exhibited  that  would  have  broken 


PHILANTHROPY  IN  CHINA.  103 

into  forcible  demonstration  as  we  passed  through  them 
only  for  the  instinctive  cowardice  of  the  Asiatics.  It  is 
quite  impossible  to  express  what  a  strange  sea  of  life 
these  narrow  Canton  streets  exhibited,  as  we  floated 
through  them  in  palanquins  upon  the  shoulders  of  the 
coolies.  Their  filth  dominated  all  other  characteris- 
tics, and  forced  upon  the  memory  Charles  Lamb's 
remark  to  his  friend,  when  he  said :  "  Martin,  if 
dirt  was  trumps,  what  a  hand  you  would  hold." 

Philanthropic  societies  are  numerous  in  the  cities 
of  China,  hardly  exceeded  in  variety  and  excellence 
of  design  by  those  of  Europe  and  America.  These 
embrace  well-organized  orphan  asylums,  institutions 
for  the  relief  of  indigent  widows  with  families,  homes 
for  the  aged  and  infirm,  public  hospitals,  and  free 
schools  in  nearly  every  district.  As  with  ourselves, 
some  of  these  are  purely  governmental  charities, 
others  are  supported  by  liberal  endowments  left  by 
deceased  citizens.  Depots  for  the  distribution  of  med- 
icines to  the  poor  are  numerous,  and  others  exist  for 
distributing  clothing  to  the  needy.  One  organiza- 
tion was  mentioned  to  us  which  supplied  coffins  to  the 
poor,  and  bore  the  expenses  of  burial.  Among  the 
dense  population  of  the  country  there  must  be  ample 
occasion  for  the  exercise  of  such  charities.  It  must 
be  remembered  that  these  societies  and  organizations 
are  not  copied  from  European  or  American  models ; 
they  have  existed  here  from  time  immemorial. 

Philologists  have  vainly  endeavored  to  trace  any 
affinity  between  the  Chinese  language  and  that  of 
other  nations,  ancient  or  modern.  It  is  unique,  —  an 
original  tongue,  and,  what  is  equally  remarkable,  no 
other  nation,  except  the  neighboring  Japanese,  have 
ever  borrowed  from  it,  or  amalgamated  any  of  its 


104  DUE   WEST. 

elements  with  their  own.  It  must  have  risen  in  its 
written  form  from  the  untutored  efforts  of  a  primitive 
people.  Like  the  Egyptian  tongue,  it  was  at  first 
probably  composed  of  hieroglyphics,  which,  in  the 
course  of  time,  became  symbolic  as  they  stand  to-day. 

The  foreign  population  of  Canton,  American,  Eng- 
lish, French,  etc.,  live  upon  a  spacious  and  beautiful 
island  by  themselves.  The  island  is  connected  with 
the  city  proper  by  a  stone  bridge  having  iron  gates, 
through  which  no  native  is  permitted  to  pass  unless  in 
the  domestic  employment  of  the  residents,  and  then 
they  are  obliged  to  show  their  written  permits  each 
time  to  the  guard  on  duty  at  the  gate  of  the  bridge. 
All  of  the  foreign  consuls  with  their  families  reside 
here  in  elegant  quarters,  surrounding  their  European 
style  of  dwellings  with  fine  gardens,  trees,  and  pleas- 
ant walks,  and  here  they  extend  to  travelers  hospi- 
tality only  too  open-handed  and  generous.  They  are 
completely  isolated  from  the  outer  world  socially,  and 
intelligent  visitors  from  abroad  are  cordially  welcomed 
by  them. 

An  inexhaustible  agricultural  capacity  remains  un- 
improved in  China,  and  the  same  may  be  said  of  her 
rich  store  of  mineral  wealth,  which,  under  American 
enterprise  and  facilities,  would  soon  revolutionize  the 
country  in  its  products  and  exports.  Save  the  dis- 
tricts which  are  traversed  by  the  canals,  the  present 
means  of  communication  between  different  parts  of 
the  country  are  scarcely  superior  to  those  of  Central 
Africa.  The  so-called  national  roads  are  nearly  im- 
passable. No  other  country  in  the  world  would  be 
so  surely  and  rapidly  benefited  by  a  thorough  system 
of  railroads  as  would  China.  Gold  and  silver  are 
found  in  nearly  every  province  of  the  Empire,  the 


COAL,  AND  ITS  SUPPLY.  105 

former  being  still  procured  by  the  most  primitive 
processes,  such  as  washing  the  river  sands  by  hand, 
which  are  recharged  by  the  freshets  from  the  moun- 
tains, —  a  mode  that  would  satisfy  only  Chinese  labor. 
Coal  is  the  most  widespread,  most  valuable,  and  most 
accessible  of  all  the  buried  treasures.  If  the  twelve 
thousand  miles  of  coal-fields  have  made  Great  Britain 
the  workshop  of  the  world,  what  may  not  be  antici- 
pated from  the  four  hundred  thousand  square  miles 
of  Chinese  coal-fields,  which  are  capable  of  supplying 
the  whole  world,  at  the  present  rate  of  consumption, 
for  thousands  of  years  ? 

The  depressing  monotony  in  the  customs,  habits,  and 
ideas  of  the  Chinese,  as  contrasted  with  their  neigh- 
bors, the  Japanese,  forces  itself  upon  the  notice  of  the 
traveler.  There  is  no  variety  among  the  race,  either 
in  manners,  dress,  or  architecture  ;  one  section  of  the 
country  seems  precisely  like  another,  so  far  as  the 
people  are  concerned,  however  widely  divided,  and  all 
follow  one  model.  There  is  no  individuality.  They 
look  to  the  past  not  to  the  future.  There  is  no  such 
possibility  as  a  nation's  standing  still ;  it  either  retro- 
grades or  progresses.  China,  whose  people  do  every- 
thing in  a  left-handed  manner,  advances  like  a  crab, 
backwards.  It  would  seem  as  if  she  must  eventually 
dry  up  and  die  of  old  age  ;  and  yet,  within  the  limits 
of  the  Chinese  Empire  is  probably  comprised  one 
fourth  of  the  human  race.  Strive  as  much  as  we 
may  to  be  fair  and  liberal,  it  is  yet  impossible  to 
disguise  our  strong  dislike  to  the  people  whom  we 
were  now  about  to  leave.  A  sense  of  relief  on  de- 
parting from  pestilential  Canton  was  inevitable,  and 
there  was  little  to  attract  us  longer  at  Hong  Kong, 
to  which  city  we  returned  in  the  steamship  Powan. 


106  DUE   WEST. 

Ifc  is  not  wise  to  shut  our  eyes  to  facts  which  have 
passed  into  history,  or  be  too  strongly  influenced  by 
personal  prejudice.  The  Chinese  have  long  been  a 
cultured,  reading  people.  Their  veritable  records 
take  them  back  to  the  days  of  Abraham.  Five  hun- 
dred years  before  the  art  of  printing  was  known  to 
Europe,  books  were  multiplied  by  movable  types  in 
China,  and  her  annals  thereby  preserved.  Whatever 
of  ignorance  may  attach  to  the  people  as  it  regards 
matters  extraneous  to  their  empire,  the  detailed  and 
accurate  knowledge  of  their  own  country  and  its 
statistics  is  evident  enough  from  the  elaborate  printed 
works  in  the  native  tongue.  Every  province  has  its 
separate  history  in  print,  specifying  its  productions, 
a  brief  record  of  its  eminent  men,  and  of  all  matters 
of  local  importance.  Reliable  maps  of  every  section 
of  the  country  are  extant.  The  civil  code  of  laws  is 
annually  published  and  corrected.  In  the  depart- 
ments of  science  relating  to  geography  and  astron- 
omy, they  have  long  been  well  advanced.  A  certain 
amount  of  education  is  universal,  eight  tenths  of  the 
people  being  able  to  read  and  write.  The  estimate 
in  which  letters  are  held  is  clear,  from  the  fact  that 
learning  forms  the  very  threshold  that  leads  to  fame, 
honor,  and  official  position.  Competitive  examina- 
tion is  the  mode  by  which  office  is  disposed  of,  those 
who  hold  the  highest  standard  of  scholarship  bearing 
off  the  palm.  The  art  of  printing  has  been  referred 
to  as  having  its  origin  in  China.  In  two  other  im- 
portant discoveries  this  nation  long  precedes  Europe ; 
namely,  in  the  use  of  gunpowder  and  the  magnetic 
compass,  the  knowledge  of  which  traveled  slowly 
westward  through  the  channels  of  Oriental  com- 
merce, by  way  of  Asia  Minor  or  the  Red  Sea.    It  ia 


FAREWELL   TO  CHINA.  107 

only  just  and  fair  for  us  to  look  on  both  sides  of  the 
subject. 

On  the  night  of  December  11th,  being  the  day  pre- 
vious to  that  of  our  departure  from  Hong  Kong,  a 
slight  shock  of  earthquake  was  experienced,  recalling 
a  similar  event  at  Yokohama ;  but  as  these  are  not 
of  uncommon  occurrence  in  either  place,  little  was 
thought  or  said  about  the  matter.  We  embarked 
on  the  P.  and  O.  steamship,  Brindisi,  for  Singapore, 
by  the  way  of  the  China  Sea  and  the  Gulf  of  Siam. 
The  northeast  monsoon  favored  us,  as  we  rushed  like 
a  race-horse  over  the  turbulent  sea,  with  a  following 
gale,  —  the  threatening  waves  appearing  as  if  they 
would  certainly  engulf  us  if  they  could  catch  up  with 
the  stern  of  the  ship.  The  Philippine  Islands  were 
given  a  wide  berth,  as  we  steered  southward  towards 
the  equator.  The  cholera  was  raging  among  the 
group  ;  and  in  illustration  of  the  fact  that  misfortunes 
never  come  as  single  spies,  but  in  battalions,  Manilla, 
the  capital,  had  just  been  nearly  destroyed  by  a  ty- 
phoon. Leaving  Borneo  on  our  port  bow  as  we  neared 
the  equatorial  line,  the  ship  was  steered  due  west  for 
the  mouth  of  the  Straits  lying  between  the  Malay 
Peninsula  and  the  Island  of  Sumatra. 

While  running  off  the  Gulf  of  Siam  we  got  our 
first  view  of  a  veritable  water-spout.  It  was  from 
four  to  five  miles  off  our  starboard  bow,  but  quite  as 
near  as  we  desired  it  to  be.  It  seems  that  both 
atmospheric  and  aquatic  currents  meet  here:  from 
the  China  Sea  northward,  from  the  Malacca  Straits 
southward,  and  from  the  Pacific  Ocean  eastward, 
mingling  at  the  entrance  of  the  Gulf  of  Siam,  causing 
at  times  a  confusion  of  the  elements.  At  least  this 
was  the  captain's  theory,  and  it  seems  that  he  had 


108  DUE  WEST. 

more  than  once  met  with  water-spouts  at  this  point. 
They  are  nothing  more  or  less  than  a  miniature 
cyclone,  an  eddying  of  the  wind  rotating  with  such 
velocity  as  to  suck  up  a  column  of  water  from  the 
sea  to  a  height  of  one  or  two  hundred  feet.  This 
column  of  water  appears  to  be  largest  at  the  top  and 
bottom  and  visibly  contracted  at  the  middle.  If  it 
were  to  fall  foul  of  a  ship  and  break,  it  would  wreck 
and  submerge  her  as  surely  as  though  she  were  run 
down  by  an  iceberg.  Modern  science  shows  that 
all  storms  are  cyclonic,  that  is,  are  circular  eddies  of 
wind  of  greater  or  less  diameter. 

No  two  geographers  seem  to  agree  as  to  what  con- 
stitutes the  Malay  Archipelago,  but  the  five  islands 
nearest  to  the  Peninsula  should  undoubtedly  be  thus 
classified  ;  namely,  Singapore,  Penang,  Borneo,  Suma- 
tra, and  Java,  —  the  latter  containing  more  volcanoes, 
active  and  extinct,  than  any  other  known  district 
of  equal  extent.  If  the  reader  will  glance  at  a  map 
of  the  Eastern  Hemisphere,  it  will  be  observed  that 
many  islands  dot  the  equatorial  region  between  Asia 
and  Australia.  Some  maps  include  New  Guinea  in 
the  Malay  group,  though  it  is  situated  far  to  the 
eastward,  and  forms  so  independent  a  region,  being 
larger  than  Great  Britain.  Lying  in  the  very  lap 
of  the  tropics,  the  climate  is  more  uniformly  hot 
and  moist  than  in  any  other  part  of  the  globe,  and 
teems  with  productions  in  the  animal  and  vegetable 
kingdoms  elsewhere  unknown.  The  most  precious 
spices,  the  richest  fruits,  the  gaudiest  feathered  birds, 
are  here  seen  at  home ;  while  man  is  represented  by 
a  race  quite  distinctive  and  peculiar,  whose  type  will 
be  looked  for  in  vain  beyond  the  limits  of  this  re- 
gion.    Climate,  vegetation,  and  animated  life  are  all 


HALF  ROUND  THE  WORLD.  109 

specially  equatorial.  The  elephant,  rhinoceros,  tapir, 
and  the  man-like  orang-outang  are  all  indigenous.  It 
was  quite  natural  to  reflect  upon  these  well-known 
facts  as  we  came  down  the  China  Sea  and  crossed 
the  broad  Gulf  of  Siam. 

On  the  15th  of  December,  at  noon,  latitude  9**1', 
longitude  108°  57^  we  found  ourselves  just  half  round 
the  world  from  our  starting-point,  Boston.  The 
capital  of  Massachusetts  was  exactly  beneath  us  on 
the  opposite  side  of  the  globe,  a  physical  fact  some- 
what difficult  to  realize. 

We  landed,  December  17th,  at  Singapore,  the  most 
southerly  point  of  Asia,  located  at  the  mouth  of  the 
Malacca  Straits,  about  eighty  miles  north  of  the 
equator,  being  the  capital  of  the  Straits  Settlements. 
It  is  the  stopping-place  of  nearly  all  ocean  travel  to 
and  from  the  East,  not  only  for  the  landing  and  tak- 
ing in  of  other  cargo,  but  as  a  necessary  coaling  sta- 
tion, whether  coming  round  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope, 
or  from  Suez  and  India  by  the  Red  Sea  route.  Sing- 
apore is  an  island  lying  just  off  the  peninsula  sepa- 
ration from  the  main -land  by  a  strait  scarcely  a 
quarter  of  a  mile  across.  It  is  some  thirty  miles 
long  and  half  as  broad,  containing  over  two  hundred 
square  miles,  and  supporting  a  population  of  a  hun- 
dred thousand,  more  or  less.  The  entrance  to  the 
harbor  was  very  picturesque  as  we  sailed  between 
the  low  lying  islands  grouped  about  it,  fanned  by  a 
soft  welcome  morning  breeze,  before  the  burning  sun 
had  asserted  its  power.  An  aspect  of  tropical  luxuri- 
ance and  languor  reigned  everywhere,  —  the  palm 
and  cocoanut-trees  looming  above  all  the  rest  of  the 
vegetation.  About  the  ship  floated  tropical  seaweed 
of  brilliant  colors,  while  the  long  snow-white  beach 


110  DUE   WEST, 

contrasted  strongly  with  the  dark  green,  glossy  foliage 
behind  it.  It  was  easy  to  divine  the  products  of  the 
island  from  the  nature  of  the  merchandise  piled  upon 
the  wharf  for  shipment,  consisting  of  tapioca,  cocoa- 
nut  oil,  gambia,  tin,  indigo,  tiger  skins,  coral,  gutta- 
percha, hides,  gums,  and  camphor,  some  of  which 
our  ship  was  destined  to  take  westward.  The  tin,  in 
heavy  pigs,  was  especially  noticeable  as  to  weight  and 
quantity. 

The  surface  of  the  island  is  undulating  and  densely 
wooded  ;  in  fact  consists  of  a  multitude  of  small  hills 
not  exceeding  three  or  four  hundred  feet  in  height, 
while  the  jungle  comes  down  close  to  the  shore.  The 
great  enemy  which  the  natives  have  to  contend 
against  is  wild  beasts,  —  tigers  -proving  very  fatal 
all  the  year  round.  There  is  no  winter,  summer,  or 
autumn  here,  but  a  perpetual  spring,  with  a  temper- 
ature almost  unvarying  ;  new  leaves  always  swelling 
from  the  buds,  flowers  always  in  bloom,  the  sun  ris- 
ing and  setting  within  five  minutes  of  six  o'clock 
during  the  entire  year.  Singapore  is  considered  to 
be  a  very  healthy  place,  and  gets  a  soft  breeze  most 
of  the  day  from  across  the  Bay  of  Bengal,  laden  with 
fragrant  sweetness  from  the  spice-bearing  fields  of 
Ceylon,  while  upon  its  own  soil  every  flower  and 
blossom  known  to  the  Orient  affords  beauty  to  the 
eye  and  delight  to  the  senses.  The  trees  here  would 
have  seemed  enormous  had  we  not  so  lately  come  from 
California.  One  observes  the  great  abundance  of  the 
rattan-palm,  which  forms  picturesque  groups  of  green 
foliage  quite  distinctive  from  the  other  surroundings. 
It  seemed  rather  enervating  with  the  thermometer 
at  90°  in  the  shade,  these  December  days,  but  the 
residents  did  not  complain.     There  are  some  draw- 


INSECT  LIFE  OF  SINGAPORE,  111 

backs  to  be  considered,  as  well  as  the  floral  beauty 
and  spice-laden  air.  Were  this  not  the  case  it  would 
be  celestial  not  terrestial.  The  number  of  dangerous 
snakes,  scorpions,  mammoth  spiders,  lizards,  mosqui- 
toes, and  all  sorts  of  vermin  is  legion.  Naturalists 
come  from  all  parts  of  Europe  to  gather  and  form  col- 
lections of  butterflies,  beetles,  birds,  reptiles,  various 
insects,  and  shells.  The  great  green-winged  Orni- 
thoptera,  the  prince  of  the  butterfly  tribe,  abounds 
here.  One  enthusiastic  naturalist,  a  German,  boasted 
that  he  had  obtained  within  a  month  over  three  hun- 
dred distinct  and  remarkable  species  of  beetles,  within 
a  couple  of  miles  of  the  hotel  veranda  where  we  stood. 
The  steamboat  landing  is  some  three  miles  from 
the  centre  of  Singapore,  and  we  drove  thitlier  drawn 
by  a  little  horse  which  could  hardly  have  performed 
the  task  had  the  road  not  been  an  excellent  one  and 
as  level  as  a  parlor  floor.  The  wayside  was  bordered 
by  hedges  of  green  and  growing  rattans  uniformly 
clipped,  and  forming  a  continuous  wall,  which,  here 
and  there,  threw  out  a  graceful  feathery  bit  of  foliage. 
Over  the  hedge  occasionally  bent  tall  and  handsome 
palm-trees  of  various  species,  often  laden  with  co- 
coanuts,  or  other  fruit  of  the  palm  family,  and  occa- 
sionally whole  groves  of  bananas  were  in  sight.  We 
passed  many  Chinamen,  and  many  Chinese  shops, 
shewing  them  to  be  the  dgminating  race,  always 
moving  promptly  as  if  bent  on  some  fixed  purpose ; 
while  the  natives,  seen  now  and  then  on  the  road,  were 
listless  and  objectless  in  their  appearance,  —  true  chil- 
dren of  the  equatorial  region.  The  former  were  bent 
on  accumulating  the  means  to  return  to  their  native 
land  in  independence ;  the  latter  were  utterly  heedless 
of  the  morrow. 


112  DUE   WEST, 

The  local  pictures,  as  usual  in  each  new  place,  are 
interesting  and  impressive  :  small  hump-backed  oxen 
driven  singly  to  harness  and  at  a  lively  trot ;  little 
diminutive  horses,  even  smaller  than  those  of  Japan, 
yet  drawing  heavy-loaded  vehicles  ;  an  almost  naked 
population,  and  those  wearing  clothes  at  all  affect- 
ing the  brightest  possible  colors.  Scarlet  turbans 
and  white  skirts,  red  shawls  bound  round  the  head, 
yellow  sashes  confining  one  thickness  of  narrow  cot- 
ton cloth  about  the  body,  give  bits  of  color  every- 
where. Peddlers  roam  the  streets  selling  water,  soup, 
fruit,  and  a  jelly,  made  from  seaweed,  called  agar- 
agar.  These  articles  are  cried,  each  after  its  own 
peculiar  name,  and  customers  are  not  wanting ;  little 
groups  of  Chinese  and  natives  often  surround  the 
peddler  and  partake  of  his  wares.  Houses  are  built 
high  up  in  the  air  upon  stilts,  a  common  practice  for 
various  reasons,  not  the  least  of  which  is  protection 
against  the  much  dreaded  tigers,  snakes,  and  other 
dangerous  creatures.  Tigers  are  said  to  devour  three 
hundred  of  the  inhabitants  annually ;  that  is  nearly 
one  a  day  out  of  a  population  of  a  hundred  thousand, 
which  is  the  aggregate  of  the  whole  island.  The 
number  of  victims  is  set  even  higher  than  this,  and  is 
mostly  made  up  from  those  working  on  the  plantations. 

The  jungle  is  very  dense  and  difficult  to  penetrate. 
English  sportsmen  come  hither,  in  large  numbers,  'to 
seek  this  royal  game.  It  would  seem  strange  at  first 
thought  that  an  island  like  Singapore  could  not  be 
cleared  of  this  terrible  pest,  and  so  we  remarked. 
"  Ah,"  replied  a  resident,  "  you  forget  that  we  draw 
an  unlimited  supply  from  the  main-land.  Tigers 
swim  across  the  narrow  straits  continually,  and  not 
until  the  land  is  cleared  from  jungle  will  our  island 


MARKET  WOMEN  OF  SINGAPORE.       113 

be  free  from  them."  The  natives  dig  pits  as  traps 
for  the  tigers,  similar  to  the  manner  of  catching  them 
in  India,  except  that  at  Singapore  a  series  of  sharp, 
upright  stakes  were  introduced,  upon  which  the  ani- 
mals fell  and  were  fatally  wounded.  This,  however, 
has  been  forbidden  since  an  English  hunter  fell  into 
a  trap  and  was  empaled  upon  them. 

The  vegetable  and  fruit  market  at  Singapore  af- 
fords an  amusing  scene  in  the  early  morning.  In 
fact  a  traveler  soon  learns  that  it  is  a  resort  not  to  be 
neglected  in  any  new  city ;  affording,  as  it  invariably 
does,  strongly  characteristic  local  pictures,  and  for  the 
time  drawing  together  representatives  from  nearly 
all  classes  of  the  community,  —  master,  mistress,  and 
servant.  The  variety  of  fruit  is  here  much  greater 
than  in  Japan  or  China ;  and  there  are  one  or  two 
species,  such  as  the  delicious  mangosteen,  —  the  se- 
ductive apple  of  the  East,  —  which  are  found  indige- 
nous in  no  other  country.  The  vegetables  are  abun- 
dant, and  the  native  women,  who  transact  the  market 
business,  know  how  to  arrange  them  with  an  eye  to 
good  effect,  just  as  they  show  an  artistic  fancy  in  the 
mingled  colors  of  the  few  clothes  they  wear. 

The  cocoanuts  ripening  in  big  clusters  on  the  lofty 
trees,  and  many  other  fruits  produced  by  the  family 
of  the  palm,  are  inviting  and  handsome  to  look  upon, 
especially  when  hanging  in  clusters  forty  or  fifty  feet 
skyward.  We  had  often  read  of  the  fan-palm,  but 
they  are  much  more  curious  to  see  than  to  read  about, 
being  here  presented  in  their  most  thriving  aspect. 
The  California  specimens  are  quite  meagre  and  un- 
satisfactory in  comparison  with  those  grown  so  near 
the  equator.  Here  the  tree  springs  up  in  the  exact 
shape  of  an  outspread  feather-fan,  as  though  it  were 


114  DUE   WEST. 

artificially  trained,  and  reaches  the  height  of  thirty 
or  forty  feet,  making  a  very  distinctive  feature  of  the 
scenery.  Fruit  is  always  cheap  in  these  regions,  and 
forms  a  very  large  portion  of  the  native  subsistence  ; 
but  it  was  a  surprise  to  us  in  paying  for  a  dozen  large, 
ripe,  and  luscious  pine-apples  to  find  that  the  price 
was  but  sixpence.  It  was  amusing  to  watch  the  itin- 
erant cooks,  who  wear  a  yoke  over  their  necks,  with 
a  cooking  apparatus  on  one  end  and  a  little  table  to 
balance  it  on  the  other,  serving  meals  of  rice  and  fish 
to  coolies  and  boatmen  for  a  couple  of  pennies  each. 
Money  has  here,  as  in  most  Eastern  countries,  a  larger 
purchasing  power  than  it  has  with  us  of  the  West. 
Laborers  at  Singapore  get  twelve  and  fifteen  cents  a 
day  for  work  on  the  wharves,  and  less  inland ;  but 
the  cost  of  living  to  these  people  is  proportionally 
insignificant.  They  can  go  into  the  jungle  and  get  a 
dinner  of  fruit  at  any  time,  and  no  one  will  interfere 
with  them. 

A  visit  to  the  Botanical  Garden,  located  a  couple 
of  miles  from  the  town,  afforded  us  much  pleasure, 
and,  as  a  complete  collection  of  tropical  trees  and 
plants,  exceeded,  in  extent  and  variety,  all  previous 
experience.  Though  this  entire  region  is  a  garden, 
it  has  been  deemed  well  to  gather  close  together  all 
possible  representatives  of  the  trees,  fruits,  and  flow- 
ers, and  to  surround  them  with  all  the  beauties  of 
landscape  gardening.  Here,  nourished  by  abundant 
heat  aird  moisture,  thrive  the  bread-fruit-tree,  palms, 
dates,  figs,  and  mangoes,  mangosteens,  and  creepers 
of  infinite  variety.  For  the  first  time  we  saw  speci- 
mens of  the  acacia  flamboyante,  a  hirge  tree  with 
broad  leaves  of  delicate  green,  throwing  out  from  its 
topmost  boughs  clusters  of  scarlet  flowers  with  yellow 


CIVILIZATION  IN  SINGAPORE,  115 

centres  like  military  plumes.  The  floral  display  was 
very  beautiful,  and  tlie  plants  must  have  enjoyed  the 
care  of  the  best  trained  skill  to  produce  such  perfec- 
tion. One  portion  of  the  garden  contained  large 
bushes  of  stephanotis  and  alamanda  in  full  bloom, 
and  close  by  was  a  glorious  display  of  the  Egyptian 
lotus  in  flower.  Upon  a  small  artificial  lake  was  a 
grand  flourishing  plant  of  the  Victoria  Regia,  with 
leaves  that  would  support  a  small  child  upon  the  sur- 
face of  the  water.  There  was  an  extensive  aviary  in 
the  grounds,  with  beautiful  specimens  of  the  argus 
pheasant,  lyre-bird,  parrots  of  many  species,  and  doves 
with  strangely  gaudy  plumage,  as  though  they  had 
barely  escaped  being  parrots.  The  little  scarlet  larie, 
a  native  here,  chattered  like  a  magpie.  It  was  cer- 
tainly an  unexpected  pleasure  to  find  an  excellent 
museum,  a  public  library,  a  Protestant  cathedral,  a 
large  hospital,  schools,  and  several  benevolent  insti- 
tutions, as  well  as  the  fine  garden  referred  to,  in  this 
capital  of  the  Malay  coast.  It  will  be  remembered 
that  Singapore  belongs  to  the  English,  having  been 
purchased  by  them  so  long  ago  as  1819  from  the  Sul- 
tan of  Johore,  Malay  Peninsula;  wise  forethought, 
showing  its  importance  as  a  port  of  call  between 
England  and  India.  The  city  is  divided  into  the 
Chinese,  Malay,  and  European  quarters,  with  a  pop- 
ulation of  sixty  thousand,  and  is  elaborately  fortified. 
A  moment's  thought  will  recall  to  the  reader's  mind 
a  fact  which  is  of  interest  in  this  connection.  Eng- 
land has  established  and  maintains  a  line  of  outposts 
from  the  Mediterranean  to  the  far  East,  commencing 
at  Gibraltar,  thence  to  Malta,  Aden,  Ceylon,  Penang, 
Singapore,  and  Hong  Kong,  thus  completely  dominat- 
ing the  south  of  Asia,  and  giving  her  a  clear  road  to 


116  DUE  WEST. 

India,  besides  making  her  power  always  realized  and 
respected  in  the  East. 

There  is  no  disguising  the  fact  that  the  Chinese,  at- 
tracted to  Singapore  by  its  freedom  from  commercial 
restrictions,  and  its  advantages  of  position,  have  con- 
tributed very  largely  to  make  it  what  it  is,  the  most 
prosperous  settlement  in  the  East.  It  literally  swarms 
with  pigtails,  the  Chinese  composing  nearly  half  of 
the  population.  We  cannot  afford  to  ignore  the  com- 
mercial value  of  this  race,  however  much  we  may  dis- 
like them  personally.  Opium  dens  are  conspicuous 
here,  over  the  doors  of  which  is  printed  in  English, 
"  Licensed  Opium  Shops."  It  seems  that  these  Mon- 
golians cannot  or  will  not  do  without  the  subtle  drug, 
while  there  are  many  people  who  do  not  use  the  ar- 
ticle, but  who  contend  that  it  is  not  injurious  except 
when  taken  to  excess.  An  intelligent  resident,  how- 
ever, admitted  that  opium  was  in  one  way  or  another 
the  cause  of  most  of  the  crime  among  the  class  who 
habitually  use  it.  It  is  the  Chinaman's  one  luxury, 
his  one  extravagance ;  he  will  stint  himself  in  food, 
clothing,  amusements,  everything  else,  to  add  to  his 
hoard  of  dollars ;  but  this  fascinating,  artificial  stimu- 
lant and  narcotic  combined  he  will  not  deny  himself. 

An  Englishman,  who  joined  the  ship  at  Singapore, 
related  a  tiger  adventure,  which  had  occurred  here 
not  long  previous  to  our  visit.  There  was  ample  evi- 
dence that  one  of  these  much-dreaded  creatures  had 
made  his  lair  not  far  away  from  the  town.  Our  in- 
formant had  come  hither  with  a  friend  on  a  hunt- 
ing excursion,  and  resolved,  if  possible,  to  secure  the 
creature's  hide.  Three  or  four  days  before  a  native 
woman  had  disappeared  from  the  suburbs,  and  it  was 
resolved  to  take  advantage  of  the  trail  which  was  made 


A    TIGER  HUNT.  IIY 

on  this  occasion  to  track  the  beast  through  the  jungle. 
The  sportsmen,  with  six  native  beaters,  easily  fol- 
lowed the  track,  the  animal's  fore  paws  evidently- 
sinking  heavily  into  the  ground  with  the  weight  of 
the  body  he  carried.  A  full  mile  was  passed  before 
the  path  became  so  dense  as  to  cause  delay,  and  the 
track  was  quite  clear.  Here  and  there  branches 
showed  a  lock  of  the  woman's  hair,  where  her  head 
had  come  in  contact  with  some  thorny  bushes  in  pass- 
ing. Once  the  tiger  had  evidently  laid  the  body 
down,  and  here  were  finger-marks  in  the  soil,  show- 
ing that  life  still  existed  in  the  poor  victim. 

The  slight  clothing  she  wore  had  been  found  at  the 
commencement  of  the  trail,  where  a  disturbance  of 
the  ground  indicated  some  sort  of  struggle.  At  the 
end  of  the  second  mile  the  tracks  grew  every  moment 
more  distinct,  and  the  party  moved  with  increased 
caution.  An  experienced  beater  was  now  sent  in  ad- 
vance with  only  his  broad,  unsheathed  knife  for  self- 
protection.  Stillness  reigned  for  some  time,  as  the 
party  thus  advanced.  The  animal  had  scented  danger, 
and,  contrary  to  the  usual  habits  of  these  creatures  on 
such  occasions,  instead  of  retreating  farther  into  the 
jungle,  he  came  boldly  towards  the  attacking  party. 
Had  this  been  anticipated,  greater  caution  would  have 
been  observed.  Suddenly  there  came  a  crashing 
sound,  and  a  scream  rang  through  the  jungle.  The 
head  beater  was  borne  to  the  ground  by  the  whole 
weight  of  the  tiger,  who  had  sprung  upon  him.  The 
man  had  stood  at  the  moment  in  a  partial  opening, 
so  that  man  and  beast  were  now  in  full  sight.  One 
of  the  hunters  instantly  leveled  his  rifle,  and  with 
deliberate  aim  sent  a  ball  through  the  tiger's  brain, 
causing  him  to  straighten  out  at  once,  quite  dead. 


118  DUE   WEST. 

The  man  was  stunned  and  severely  wounded,  but 
he  was  not  bitten,  and  was  able  to  struggle  to  his 
feet,  pointing  exultingly  to  the  knife,  showing  that  he 
had  buried  the  blade  to  the  hilt  in  the  tiger's  chest, 
notwithstanding  the  suddenness  of  the  attack.  The 
natives  generally  are  poor  hunters,  lacking  courage 
and  coolness,  both  of  which  qualities  this  man  clearly 
evinced.  A  hundred  yards  further  into  the  jungle 
from  the  spot  where  this  struggle  took  place  was 
found  the  monster's  lair.  It  was  a  small  open  space, 
surrounded  by  a  thick  undergrowth,  whither  he  had 
brought  his  victims,  fully  three  miles  from  the  near- 
est village.  Only  the  bones  of  the  poor  woman  were 
found  ;  what  the  tiger  had  not  eaten  other  beasts  and 
birds  had  consumed.  Heaps  of  bones  testified  to  the 
havoc  the  animal  had  made.  A  number  of  bangles, 
arm-rings,  nose  and  ear  ornaments,  were  picked  up, 
such  as  only  women  wear,  showing  that  a  number  of 
his  victims  had  been  of  that  sex.  The  beater  was 
well  enough  to  walk  back  to  the  village,  after  a  short 
time,  and  became  quite  a  hero  in  consequence  of  the 
adventure.  The  carcass  was  brought  to  town,  and 
proved  to  be  that  of  a  very  large  and  old  tiger.  The 
fact  of  his  coming  towards  the  hunters  instead  of  re- 
tiring, as  is  their  habit  when  pursued  by  numbers, 
showed  that  he  was  an  unusually  dangerous  animal. 

A  two  days'  voyage  through  what  seemed  to  us 
like  a  sea  of  phosphorescence,  every  splash  and  ripple 
producing  liquid  gems,  brought  us  to  Penang,  the 
most  northerly  sea-port  of  the  Malacca  Straits,  sit- 
uated at  the  point  where  they  open  into  the  Indian 
Ocean,  and  just  one  hundred  miles  from  the  island 
of  Sumatra  across  the  mouth  of  the  Straits.  The 
approach  to  the  island  by  water  afforded  a  fine  pic- 


FIRST  IMPRESSIONS  OF  PENANG.        119 

ture.  Well- wooded  hills  of  vivid  greenness  rise  above 
the  sea  all  about  the  town.  These  hills  grow  more 
or  less  lofty  as  they  recede  inland,  until  they  culmi- 
nate in  three  mountain  peaks.  Penang,  like  Singa- 
pore, is  an  island  some  thirteen  miles  long  by  ten  in 
width,  and  is  separated  from  the  main-land  of  the 
Peninsula  by  a  narrow  belt  of  sea  not  more  than 
three  miles  in  width,  giving  it  a  position  of  great 
commercial  importance.  It  resembles  Singapore  in 
many  respects,  and  is  almost  identical  with  it  so  far 
as  it  relates  to  its  general  products  and  vegetation ; 
the  season,  likewise,  is  one  long,  unvarying  summer. 
The  arcea  palm,  known  as  the  Penang-tree,  is  the 
source  of  the  betel-nut,  and,  as  it  abounds  on  the 
island,  has  given  it  the  name  it  bears.  The  town 
and  its  immediate  suburbs  cover  about  a  square  mile, 
through  which  one  broad  main  street  runs,  inter- 
sected by  lesser  thoroughfares  at  right  angles.  A 
drive  about  the  place  gave  us  an  idea  that  it  is  a 
thrifty  town,  but  not  nearly  so  populous  or  business- 
like as  Singapore.  It  was  also  observable  here 
that  the  Chinese  element  predominated.  The  main 
street  referred  to  is  lined  with  open  bazars  and  shops, 
mostly  kept  by  Chinamen.  The  front  of  the  dwell- 
ings being  all  open,  gives  the  passer-by  a  full  idea 
of  all  that  is  going  on  in  each  household.  Shrines 
were  nearly  always  to  be  seen  in  some  nook  or  corner 
of  each  dwelling,  before  which  incense  was  burning, 
and  generally  a  couple  of  candles  also,  very  much  as 
at  Canton.  The  shrine-room  seemed  also  to  be  the 
eating,  sleeping,  and  living  room. 

The  natives  are  lithe  in  figure,  with  but  slight 
muscular  development,  and  are  yet  quite  strong, 
appearing  at  all  times  as  nearly  naked  as  would  be 


120  DtTE  WEST. 

permitted  among  white  people.  They  give  up  nearly 
all  branches  of  occupation,  trade,  and  industries  to 
the  Chinamen,  and  content  themselves  with  lying  all 
day  in  the  sun,  eating  bananas  and  other  cheap  fruits, 
and  chewing  betel-nuts.  Some  of  them  make  good 
sailors,  taken  away  from  their  home  and  put  under 
discipline.  The  P.  &  O.  Steamship  Company,  as  well 
as  many  others,  often  recruit  their  crews  here.  Is  it 
because  surrounding  nature  is  so  bountiful,  so  lovely, 
so  prolific  in  spontaneous  food,  that  these,  her  chil- 
dren, are  lazy,  dirty,  and  heedless  ?  Does  it  require 
a  cold,  unpropitious  climate,  a  sterile  soil  and  rude 
surroundings,  to  awaken  human  energy  and  put  man 
at  his  best  ?  There  is  compensation  always.  With 
luxury  comes  enervation,  effort  is  superfluous ;  while 
with  frugality  and  labor  we  have  strength,  accom- 
panied with  development  of  mind  and  body.  The 
former  produces  slaves,  the  latter  heroes. 

Humanity  and  the  lower  grades  of  animal  life  seem 
here  to  change  places.  While  the  birds  and  butter- 
flies are  in  perfect  harmony  with  the  loveliness  of  na- 
ture about  them,  while  the  flowers  are  glorious  in 
beauty  and  in  fragrance,  man  alone  seems  out  of  tune 
and  out  of  place.  Indolent,  dirty,  unclad,  he  adds 
nothing  to  the  beauty  or  perfection  of  the  surround- 
ings, does  nothing  to  adapt  and  improve  such  wealth 
of  possibilities  as  nature  spreads  broadcast  only  in 
these  regions.  The  home  of  the  Malay  is  not  so 
clean  as  that  of  the  ants,  or  the  birds,  or  the  bees ;  the 
burrowing  animals  are  much  neater.  He  does  little 
for  himself,  nothing  for  others,  the  sensuous  life  he 
leads  poisoning  his  nature.  Virtue  and  vice  have  no 
special  meaning  to  him.  There  is  no  sear  and  yellow 
leaf  at  Penang,  or  anywhere  on  the  coast  of  the 


NATIVE   WOMEN  OF  PENANG.  121 

Straits.  Fruits  and  flowers  are  perennial :  if  a  leaf 
falls,  another  springs  into  life  on  the  vacant  stem  ;  if 
fruit  is  plucked,  a  blossom  follows  and  another  clus- 
ter ripens ;  nature  is  inexhaustible.  Unlike  most 
tropical  regions,  neither  Penang  nor  Singapore  are 
troubled  with  malarial  fevers,  and  probably  no  spot 
on  earth  can  be  found  better  adapted  to  the  wants 
of  primitive  man. 

The  native  women  are  graceful  and  almost  pretty, 
slight  in  figure,  and  very  fond  of  ornament.  Indeed 
both  sexes  pierce  their  ears,  noses,  and  lips,  through 
which  to  thrust  silver,  brass,  and  gold  rings,  also 
covering  their  ankles  and  arms  with  metallic  rings, 
the  number  only  limited  by  their  means.  In  the  im- 
mediate neighborhood  of  the  town  are  some  English 
plantations  and  neat  cottages,  with  in  closures  of  flow- 
ers and  orchards  of  fruit  trees;  while  still  farther 
back  are  large  gardens  of  bread-fruit,  nutmegs,  cinna- 
mon, pepper,  and  other  spices.  Plantations  of  sugar- 
cane, tobacco,  and  coffee  are  also  numerous,  the  soil 
being  pronounced  to  be  extremely  fertile.  We  were 
told  that  nothing  had  to  be  wrung  from  the  earth 
here,  but,  as  Douglas  Jerrold  said  of  Australia,  "just 
tickle  her  with  a  hoe  and  she  laughs  with  a  harvest." 
Here  is  the  very  paradise  of  brilliant  birds,  with 
feathers  "  too  utterly  gaudy,"  while  Flora  revels  in 
wild  luxuriance.  The  delicate  little  sensitive  plant 
here  grows  in  a  wild  state,  equally  tremulous  and 
subsiding  at  human  touch,  as  with  us.  Lilies  are  in 
wonderful  variety,  and  such  ferns,  and  such  butter- 
flies !  These  latter  almost  as  big  as  humming-birds 
and  as  swift  of  wing. 

Penang  is  the  headquarters  of  the  cocoanut-tree, 
the  prolific  character  of  which  is  here  simply  won- 


122  DUE   WEST. 

derful.  How  these  trees  manage  to  keep  an  upright 
position,  with  such  heavy  loads  in  their  tufted  tops, 
is  a  never-ending  marvel.  This  tree  is  always  in 
bearing  at  Penang,  giving  annually  several  voluntary 
crops,  and  receiving  no  artificial  "cultivation.  Of  the 
liberal  gifts  which  Providence  has  bestowed  upon  the 
tropics,  the  cocoanut-tree  is  perhaps  the  most  valu- 
able. The  Asiatic  poets  celebrate  in  verse  the  three 
hundred  and  sixty  uses  to  which  the  trunk,  the 
branches,  the  leaves,  the  fruit,  and  the  juice  are  ap- 
plied. In  Penang  a  certain  number  of  these  trees 
are  not  permitted  to  bear  fruit ;  the  embryo  bud,  from 
which  the  blossoms  and  nuts  would  spring,  is  tied  up 
to  prevent  its  expansion,  and  a  small  incision  then 
being  made  at  the  end,  there  oozes  in  gentle  drops  a 
cool,  pleasant  liquor  called  sarce  or  toddy,  which  is 
the  palm-wine  of  the  poet.  This,  when  first  drawn, 
is  cooling  and  wholesome,  but  when  fermented  and 
distilled  produces  a  strong,  intoxicating  spirit.  In 
fruits,  the  banana  is  perhaps  the  next  most  valuable 
of  the  products  of  this  region.  We  were  told  that 
between  twenty  and  thirty  distinct  species  of  the 
fruit  flourished  within  a  radius  of  a  dozen  miles  of 
the  town,  all  wholesome  and  palatable.  The  atten- 
tion of  planters  is  being  diverted  from  spice  culture 
to  that  of  fruit  raising,  the  latter  requiring  so  much 
less  attention,  and  not  being  liable  to  blight  of  any 
sort. 

In  the  brief  stay  which  we  made  at  Singapore  and 
Penang,  it  is  hardly  to  be  supposed  that  any  very  re- 
liable judgment  could  be  formed  as  to  the  character- 
istics of  the  common  people  ;  but  with  observation, 
fortified  by  intelligent  inquiry,  certain  deductions 
were  natural.     The  Malay  seems  to  be  a  careless, 


THE  MALAY  KINGDOM.  123 

happy-go-lucky  race,  the  merest  children  of  nature, 
with  no  thought  of  the  morrow.  The  English  first, 
and  then  the  Chinese,  dominate  the  masses.  When 
they  have  no  money,  and  lack  for  food,  they  will 
work;  but  only  empty  pockets  and  gnawing  stomachs 
will  induce  them  to  labor.  All  life  seems  more  or 
less  torpid  and  listless  in  the  tropics.  As  has  been 
intimated,  the  morals  of  these  people  of  the  Straits 
will  not  bear  writing  about ;  the  marriage  rite  has 
little  force  among  them,  and  domesticity  is  not  un- 
derstood. They  are  more  nearly  Mohammedan  than 
aught  else,  and  its  forms  are  somewhat  preserved, 
but  the  faith  of  Mecca  has  only  a  slight  hold  upon 
them.  There  are  intelligent  and  cultivated  Malays, 
those  of  Sumatra,  Borneo,  and  Java  are  notably  so ; 
but  we  have  been  speaking  of  the  masses.  Penang 
originally  belonged  to  the  Malay  kingdom,  but,  about 
the  year  1786,  was  given  to  an  English  sea-captain 
as  a  marriage  portion  with  the  King  of  Keddah's 
daughter,  and  by  him  transferred  to  the  East  India 
Company.  When  Captain  Francis  Light  received 
it  with  his  dusky  bride,  it  was  the  wild  home  of  a 
few  Malay  fishermen  and  their  families;  to-day  it 
has  about  a  hundred  thousand  population. 

The  constant  changes  of  climate,  in  so  prolonged 
a  journey  as  that  to  which  these  notes  relate,  must 
naturally  somewhat  try  one's  physical  endurance,  and 
also  demands  more  than  ordinary  care  in  the  preser- 
vation of  health.  Regularity  of  habits,  abstemious- 
ness, and  no  careless  exposure  will,  as  a  rule,  insure 
the  same  immunity  from  sickness  that  may  be  rea- 
sonably expected  at  home,  though  this  result  cannot 
always  be  counted  upon.  The  sturdiest  and  most 
healthy-appearing  individual  of  our  little  party  was 


124  DUE   WEST. 

Mr.  D ,  who  was  in  the  prime  of  life  and  manly- 
vigor  when  he  joined  us  at  San  Francisco;  but  while 
the  rest  of  us  enjoyed  good  health  from  the  begin- 
ning to  the  end  of  the  journey,  he  lost  health  and 
strength  gradually  from  the  time  we  left  China. 
Though  receiving  the  most  unremitting  attention, 
both  professional  and  friendly,  he  was  conscious  by 
the  time  we  reached  Singapore  that  he  could  not 
long  survive.  He  passed  away  on  the  night  of  De- 
cember 21st,  and  was  buried  next  day  at  sea,  with 
the  usual  solemn  ceremony.  It  was  a  wild,  stormy- 
day,  when  the  body  was  committed  to  the  deep,  caus- 
ing the  scene  to  be  all  the  more  impressive  from  the 
attendant  rage  of  the  elements. 


CHAPTER  V. 

Sailing  Due  West.  —  The  Indian  Ocean. —  Strange  Sights  at  Sea.  — 
Island  of  Ceylon.  —  Singhalese  Canoes.  —  Colombo.  —  A  Land  of 
Slaves.  —  Native  Town.  —  Singhalese  Women.  —  Fantastic  Nurses. 

—  Local  Pictures.  —  Cinnamon  Gardens.  — Wild  Elephants. — Lav- 
ishness  of  Tropical  Nature.  —  Curious  Birds  and  their  Nests.  — 
Ancient  Kandy.  —  Temple  of  Maligawan.  —  Keligious  Ceremonies. 

—  Life  of  the  Natives.  —  Inland  Scenery.  —  Fruits.  —  Precious 
Stones.  —  Coffee  Plantations.  —  Great  Antiquity  of  Ceylon. 

After  leaving  Penang  our  course  lay  due  west 
across  the  Indian  Ocean,  on  a  line  of  about  the  tenth 
degree  of  north  latitude ;  the  objective  point  being 
the  island  of  Ceylon.  We  sighted  the  Andaman 
Islands  as  we  passed,  more  than  one  of  which  has 
the  reputation  of  being  inhabited  by  cannibals ;  and 
as  a  matter  of  course  some  of  the  passengers  became 
witty  over  the  second-hand  jokes  about  roasted  mis- 
sionary. The  rains  which  we  encountered  in  this 
equatorial  region  were  so  profuse,  and  yielded  such  a 
marvelous  downpour  of  water  as  to  almost  deluge  us, 
and  set  the  inside  of  the  good  steamship  Brindisi 
afloat.  But  the  air  was  soft  and  balmy,  the  nights 
gloriously  serene  and  bright,  so  that  it  was  even 
more  refreshing,  more  restful  than  slumber,  to  lie 
awake  upon  the  quarter-deck,  and  gazing  idly  among 
the  clustering  stars,  to  build  castles  in  the  limpid 
atmosphere  while  watching  the  fleecy  clouds  floating 
across  the  gleaming  planets,  as  a  lovely  woman's  veil 
covers  her  luminous  eyes  for  an  instant  only  to  vivify 
their  splendor. 


126  DUE   WEST, 

In  the  daytime  large  sea-turtles  came  to  the  sur- 
face of  the  water  to  sun  themselves,  stretching  their 
awkward  necks  to  get  sight  of  our  hull.  Big  schools 
of  dolphins  played  their  gambols  about  the  ship,  dart- 
ing bodily  out  of  the  water,  and  pitching  in  again 
head  foremost,  no  doubt  holding  their  breath  when 
submerged  in  atmospheric  air,  as  a  diver  does  when 
he  plunges  into  the  sea.  Flying-fish  were  so  numer- 
ous as  to  cease  to  be  a  curiosity,  often  skimming  on 
board  in  their  awkward  attempts  at  aerial  navigation, 
and  being  caught  by  the  crew.  As  it  is  known  that 
a  light  will  attract  these  delicate  little  sea-moths  at 
night,  sailors  sometimes  extend  a  bit  of  canvas  on  a 
pole  from  a  forward  port,  in  the  shape  of  a  scoop, 
and  placing  a  lantern  above  it,  gather  quite  a  mess 
of  them  in  a  brief  time.  One  morning  the  cook 
brought  himself  into  special  notice  by  giving  us  a 
fry  of  the  self- immolated  creatures.  Large  water- 
snakes  appeared  at  the  surface  now  and  again,  rais- 
ing their  slimy  heads  a  couple  of  feet  or  more  above 
the  waves.  These  have  been  known  to  board  sailing 
ships  by  means  of  a  stray  rope  left  dragging  in  the 
water,  or  through  an  open  port  near  the  surface  of 
the  sea.  But  they  would  hardly  attempt  such  feats 
with  a  swift  gliding  steamer,  even  if  a  trailing  rope 
were  to  offer  them  the  chance.  Now  and  then  the 
ship  would  sail  for  an  hour  or  more  through  a  pro- 
lific drift  of  that  queer,  indolent  bit  of  animal  life, 
the  jelly-fish.  How  these  waters  teemed  with  life  ! 
Every  school-boy  knows  that  the  ocean  covers  three 
quarters  of  the  globe,  but  how  few  realize  that  it 
represents  more  of  organic  life  than  does  the  land. 
It  is  a  world  in  itself,  immense  and  mighty,  affording 
a  home  for  countless  and  manifold  forms  of  life.    We 


ON    THE  INDIAN  OCEAN  127 

are  indebted  to  it  for  every  drop  of  water  distributed 
over  our  hills,  plains,  and  valleys,  for  from  the  ocean 
it  has  arisen  by  evaporation  to  return  again  through 
myriads  of  channels.  It  is  a  misnomer  to  speak  of 
the  sea  as  a  desert  waste :  it  is  teeming  with  inex- 
haustible animal  and  vegetable  life.  A  German 
scientist  has,  with  unwearied  industry,  secured  and 
classified  over  five  hundred  distinct  species  of  fishes 
from  this  very  division  of  the  Indian  Ocean  ;  many 
of  which  are  characterized  by  colors  as  gay  and  va- 
rious as  those  of  tropical  birds  and  flowers.  Mirage 
played  us  strange  tricks,  in  the  way  of  optical  delu- 
sion, in  these  regions.  We  seemed  constantly  to  be 
approaching  land  that  was  never  reached,  and  which, 
after  assuming  the  undulating  shore-lines  of  a  well- 
defined  coast,  at  the  moment  when  we  should  fairly 
make  it,  faded  into  thin  air.  Sometimes  at  night  the 
marvelous  phosphorescence  of  the  sea  was  fascinat- 
ing to  behold,  the  crest  of  each  wave  and  ripple  be- 
came a  small  cascade  of  fire,  and  the  motion  of  the 
ship  through  her  native  element  seemed  as  though 
sailing  through  flames.  The  scientific  methods  of  ac- 
counting for  this  effect  are  familiar,  but  hardly  sat- 
isfactory to  those  who  have  watched  this  phenome- 
non in  both  hemispheres.  We  began,  nevertheless, 
to  experience  somewhat  of  the  monotony  of  sea  life, 
although  the  most  was  made  of  trivial  occurrences; 
for  out  of  the  hundred  days  which  we  had  been 
traveling  since  leaving  Boston,  nearly  fifty  had  been 
passed  upon  various  seas  and  oceans. 

The  voyage  from  Penang  to  Ceylon  covers  a  dis- 
tance of  about  thirteen  hundred  miles.  We  sighted 
the  island  on  Sunday,  December  24th,  and  landed  at 
Colombo  on  the  following  day,  which  was  Christmas. 


128  DUE   WEST. 

When  we  rounded  the  seaward  end  of  the  substantial 
breakwater  now  building,  over  which  the  lofty  waves 
were  making  a  clean  breach,  five  of  the  large  and 
noble  steamships  of  the  P.  and  O.  line  were  seen 
moored  in  the  harbor,  making  this  a  port  of  call  on 
their  way  to  or  from  India,  China,  or  Australia.  As 
the  anchor-chain  rattled  through  the  hawser-hole,  and 
the  Brindisi  felt  the  restraint  of  her  land-tackle,  we 
were  surrounded  by  half  a  hundred  native  boats,  most 
of  which  were  Singhalese  canoes,  of  such  odd  con- 
struction as  to  merit  a  special  description.  They  are 
peculiar  to  these  seas,  being  designed  to  enable  tha 
occupant  to  venture  out,  however  rough  the  water 
may  chance  to  be,  and  the  surf  is  always  raging  in 
these  open  roadsteads.  The  canoe  consists  of  the 
trunk  of  a  tree  hollowed  out,  some  twenty  feet  in 
length,  having  long  planks  fastened  lengthwise  so  as 
to  form  the  sides  or  gunwales  of  the  boat,  which  is 
two  feet  and  a  half  deep  and  two  feet  wide.  An  out- 
rigger, consisting  of  a  log  of  wood  about  one  third 
the  size  of  the  canoe,  is  fastened  alongside  at  a  dis- 
tance of  some  six  or  eight  feet,  by  two  arched  poles 
of  well-seasoned  bamboo.  This  outrigger  prevents 
any  possibility  of  upsetting  the  boat ;  but  without  it 
so  narrow  a  craft  could  not  remain  upright  even  in 
the  calmest  sea.  The  natives  face  any  weather  in, 
these  little  vessels. 

There  was  a  pretense  made  of  examining  our  bag- 
gage by  the  custom-house  officers,  but  this  was  sim- 
ply for  form's  sake,  and  then  the  trunks  were  put 
into  a  two- wheeled  canvas-covered  cart,  drawn  by  a 
couple  of  milk-white  oxen,  and  we  walked  beside 
them  a  short  distance  to  the  hotel.  It  was  observed 
that  the  driver  of  the  bullocks  had  no  whip,  and  the 


HOTEL  LIFE  AT  COLOMBO.  129 

citcumstance  was  set  down  in  favor  of  humanity; 
but  it  soon  appeared  that  the  fellow  had  a  resort  of 
another  sort  whereby  to  urge  on  his  cattle,  namely, 
he  twisted  their  tails,  compared  to  which  whipping 
would  have  been  to  them  a  luxury.  As  we  at  once 
objected  to  the  tail-twisting  operation,  the  native  gave 
it  up  and  behaved  himself  with  humanity.  The  sun, 
meantime,  was  doing  its  best  to  roast  us,  and  we  were 
only  too  happy  to  get  under  the  shelter  of  the  hotel 
piazza.  We  were  waited  upon  with  prompt  regard 
to  our  necessities,  and  assigned  to  comfortable  apart- 
ments. The  rooms  were  divided  by  partitions  which 
did  not  reach  to  the  ceiling,  the  upper  portion  being 
left  open  for  ventilation  ;  a  style  of  building  peculiar 
to  the  climate,  but  not  calculated  to  afford  much  more 
privacy  than  the  Japan  paper  partitions  in  the  tea- 
houses. But  the  hotel  at  Colombo  was  a  very  good 
one  in  all  of  its  belongings,  and  the  table  excellent. 
While  we  sat  at  our  meals,  in  the  spacious  dining- 
hall,  long  lines  of  punkas,  or  suspended  fans,  were 
worked  by  pulleys  running  outside,  so  that  during 
these  hours  we  were  comfortable,  notwithstanding 
the  heat. 

This  island,  situated  just  off  the  southern  point  of 
India,  stands  in  the  same  relation  to  it  that  Mad- 
agascar does  to  Africa,  and  is  very  ancient  in  its  his- 
torical associations,  having  been  in  the  prime  of  its 
glory  four  hundred  years  before  the  coming  of  Christ, 
and  how  far  back  of  that  period  its  history  extends 
is  only  problematical.  It  is  separated  from  the  con- 
tinent by  a  strait  called  the  Gulf  of  Manar,  and  is 
about  the  size  of  Massachusetts;  containing,  also, 
nearly  the  same  aggregate  population.  It  is  believed 
to  be  the  Ophir  of  the  Hebrews,  abounding  as  it  does, 


180  DUE   WEST, 

to-day,  in  precious  stones,  such  as  rubies,  sapphires, 
amethysts,  garnets,  and  various  mineral  wealth.  It 
is  also,  taken  as  a  whole,  one  of  the  most  beautiful 
regions  of  the  world ;  the  very  gem  of  the  equatorial 
region. 

The  English  government  have  here  large  and  ad- 
mirably arranged  barracks,  suitable  for  the  housing 
of  a  small  army,  the  troops  numbering  at  this  writ- 
ing between  three  and  four  thousand  ;  but  more  than 
double  that  number  can  be  provided  for  in  the  broad, 
open  buildings,  specially  adapted  to  the  service  and 
the  climate.  The  object  is  undoubtedly  to  maintain 
at  this  point  a  military  depot,  with  which  to  supply 
troops  in  an  emergency  to  India  or  elsewhere  in  the 
East.  But  it  should  be  remembered  that  Ceylon, 
though  a  British  colony,  is  quite  separate  from  that 
of  India,  so  near  at  hand.  It  is  presided  over  by  a 
governor,  appointed  by  the  Queen  of  England,  an 
executive  council  of  five,  and  a  legislative  council  of 
fifteen.  For  the  first  time  since  landing  in  the  East, 
we  saw  no  Chinese.  They  ceased  at  Penang ;  for 
Chinamen,  like  some  species  of  birds,  move  in  flocks  ; 
they  never  straggle.  There  is  here  a  sprinkling  of 
Nubians,  but  the  general  population  is  Singhalese, 
with  whom  are  seen  mingled  Arabs,  Javanese,  Af- 
ghans, Kaffirs,  and  Syrian  Jews,  these  last  with  their 
hair  in  ringlets  like  young  school-girls.  The  sub- 
jugated appearance  of  the  common  people  is  disa- 
greeably apparent.  In  Japan,  the  submissiveness 
and  humility  of  the  population  is  voluntary,  for  they 
are  a  free  and  independent  race  after  all ;  but  here 
the  natives  are  the  merest  slaves,  realizing  their  hum- 
ble status  only  too  plainly.  They  call  all  white  peo- 
ple "  master  "  when  addressing  them :  "  Yes,  master," 


BLACK  TOWN,    COLOMBO.  131 

or  "  No,  master,"  "  Will  master  have  this  or  that  ?  " 
They  would  not  dare  to  resent  it  if  they  were  knocked 
down  by  a  white  man.  The  English  government 
provides  means  for  the  education  of  the  rising  gener- 
ation in  the  form  of  free  schools ;  and  the  English 
language  is  very  generally  spoken  by  the  common 
people.  This  is  wise,  for  even  in  her  colonial  posses- 
sions she  must  multiply  schools,  or  prisons  will  mul- 
tiply themselves. 

The  police  arrangements  of  Colombo  are  excellent. 
Notwithstanding  the  singular  variety  of  nationalities, 
one  sees  no  outbreaks  ;  there  is  no  visible  impropriety 
of  conduct,  no  contention  or  intoxication,  quiet  and 
repose  reign  everywhere.  Though  the  ancient  Pet- 
tah,  or  Black  Town,  inhabited  solely  by  the  natives, 
is  not  a  very  attractive  place  to  visit,  and  though  it 
is  characterized  by  dirt  and  squalor,  still  it  is  quiet 
and  orderly,  presenting  many  objects  of  interest  as 
illustrating  the  domestic  life  of  the  Singhalese.  The 
same  indolence  and  want  of  physical  energy  is  ob- 
servable among  them  as  was  noted  in  the  Malays  at 
Penang  and  Singapore.  Man  is  but  a  plant  of  a 
higher  order.  In  the  tropics  he  is  born  of  fruitful 
stock  and  of  delicate  fibre ;  in  the  north  his  nature 
partakes  of  the  hardihood  of  the  oak  and  cedar. 
The  thermometer  indicated  about  90°  in  the  shade 
during  the  week  we  remained  at  Ceylon,  rendering 
it  absolutely  necessary  to  avoid  the  sun.  Only  the 
thinnest  of  clothing  is  bearable,  and  one  half  envied 
the  nudity  of  the  natives  who  could  be  no  more 
thinly  clad  unless  they  took  off  their  bronzed  skins. 

We  made  our  home  in  Colombo  at  the  Grand  Ori- 
ental Hotel,  kept  by  an  Englishman.  The  servants 
were  natives,  but  well-trained,  and  all  spoke  English. 


132  DUE   WEST, 

Each  wore  a  white  turban  and  a  single  white  cotton 
garment,  cut  like  a  gentleman's  dressing-gown,  ex- 
tending below  the  knee,  and  confined  at  the  waist  by 
a  sash,  thus  being  decently  clothed.  It  was  curious 
to  sit  on  the  piazza  and  watch  the  out-door  scenes  as 
they  presented  themselves  to  the  eye.  The  women 
were  strange  objects,  with  silver  and  brass  jewelry 
stuck  through  the  tops  and  bottoms  of  their  ears, 
through  their  nostrils  and  lips,  their  toes  being  cov- 
ered with  small  silver  coins  attached  to  rings,  and 
their  ankles,  fingers,  and  wrists  similarly  covered,  but 
with  scarcely  any  clothing  upon  their  bodies.  Both 
men  and  women  frequently  have  their  arms,  legs,  and 
bodies  tattooed  with  red  and  black  ink,  representing 
grotesque  figures  and  strange  devices,  —  these  picto- 
rial illustrations  on  their  copper-colored  skins  remind- 
ing one  of  illumined  text  on  vellum.  Like  most  East- 
ern nations,  they  do  not  sit  down  when  fatigued,  but 
squat  on  their  heels  to  rest  themselves,  or  when  eat- 
ing, —  a  position  which  no  person  not  accustomed  to 
it  can  assume  for  one  instant  without  pain.  The  men 
wear  their  hair  done  up  in  a  singular  manner,  combed 
back  from  the  forehead  and  held  in  place  by  a  circu- 
lar shell  comb,  giving  them  an  especially  effeminate 
appearance ;  but  the  women  wear  nothing  of  the  comb 
kind  in  their  hair,  their  abundant  braids  being  well 
plaited  and  confined  by  long  metallic  pins  with  mam^ 
moth  heads.  Some  of  the  women  are  pretty,  and 
would  be  almost  handsome,  if  their  ears  and  lips  and 
noses  were  not  so  distorted ;  as  it  is,  they  have  fine 
upright  figures,  and  the  dignified  walk  that  so  dis- 
tinguishes their  Egyptian  sisters. 

These    women    are  very  generally   employed    as 
nurses  by  the  English  officers'  wives,  and  children 


SINGHALESE  NURSES.  133 

seem  to  take  very  kindly  to  them,  their  nature  being 
gentle  and  affectionate.  But  these  nurses  seem  to 
form  a  class  by  themselves,  and  the  taste  for  cheap 
jewelry  could  hardly  be  carried  to  a  greater  extent 
than  it  is  with  them.  They  are  got  up  in  the  "  loud- 
est "  style ;  after  the  idea  of  the  Roman  women  sim- 
ilarly employed,  or  those  one  meets  with  children  in 
the  gardens  of  the  Louvre  at  Paris,  or  the  Prado  at 
Madrid.  The  Singhalese  nurses  wear  a  white  linen 
chemise  covering  the  body,  except  the  breast,  to  the 
knee,  with  a  blue  cut-away  velvet  jacket,  covered 
with  silver  braid  and  buttons,  open  in  front,  a  scarlet 
sash  gathering  the  chemise  at  the  waist.'  The  legs 
and  feet  are  bare,  the  ankles  and  toes  covered  with 
rings,  and  the  ears  heavy,  weighed  down,  and  de- 
formed with  them.  These,  like  their  sisters  of  the 
masses,  often  have  their  nostrils  and  lower  lips  perfo- 
rated by  metallic  hoops  of  brass  or  silver,  and  some- 
times of  gold  ;  to  which  is  often  added  a  necklace  of 
bright  sea-shells  mixed  with  shark's  teeth,  completing 
the  oddest  outfit  that  can  well  be  conceived  of  for  a 
human  being.  Savagery  tinctured  with  civilization. 
The  native  children  of  six,  eight,  and  ten,  were  sub- 
jects of  particular  interest,  the  boys  especially,  who 
were  remarkably  handsome,  clean-limbed,  with  skins 
shining  like  satin,  and  brown  as  hazel  nuts.  These 
boys  and  girls  have  large,  brilliant,  and  intensely 
black  eyes,  with  a  promise  of  good  intelligence,  but 
their  possibilities  remain  unfulfilled  amid  such  asso- 
ciations as  they  are  born  to.  They  soon  subside  into 
languid,  sensuous  creatures. 

As  we  sat  shaded  by  the  broad  piazza  in  the  mid- 
day, the  native  jugglers  and  snake-charmers  would 
come,  and,  squatting  in  the  blazing  sun,  beg  us  to 


134  DUE   WEST. 

give  heed  to  their  tricks.  They  are  singularly  clever, 
these  Indian  mountebanks,  especially  in  sleight  of 
hand  tricks.  The  serpents  which  they  handle  with 
such  freedom  are  of  the  deadly  cobra  species,  fatally 
poisonous  when  their  fangs  penetrate  the  flesh, 
though  doubtless  when  exhibited  in  this  manner  they 
have  been  deprived  of  their  natural  means  of  de- 
fense. True  to  their  native  instinct,  however,  these 
cobras  were  more  than  once  seen  to  strike  at  the  bare 
arms  and  legs  of  the  performers.  Rooks,  of  which 
there  were  thousands  about  the  house,  flew  in  and 
out  at  the  open  doors  and  windows,  after  their  own 
free  will,  lighting  confidently  on  the  back  of  one's 
chair  and  trying  the  texture  of  his  coat  with  their 
sharp  bills.  No  one  molests  them  here  or  makes 
them  afraid.  They  are  far  tamer  than  are  domestic 
fowls  in  America,  for  they  are  never  killed  and 
eaten  like  hens  and  chickens.  A  Singhalese's  re- 
ligion will  not  permit  him  to  kill  anything,  except 
wild  beasts  in  self-defense.  The  vegetation  is  what 
might  be  expected  within  so  few  miles  of  the  equator : 
beautiful  and  prolific  in  the  extreme.  The  cinnamon 
fields  are  so  thrifty  as  to  form  a  wilderness  of  green, 
though  growing  but  four  or  five  feet  in  height,  and  a 
drive  through  them  was  like  a  poetical  inspiration. 

The  cinnamon  bush  is  a  species  of  laurel,  and 
bears  a  white,  scentless  flower,  which  is  succeeded  by 
a  small,  oblong  berry,  scarcely  as  large  as  a  pea.  The 
spice  of  commerce  is  the  inner  bark  of  the  shrub,  the 
branches  of  which  are  cut  and  peeled  twice  in  the 
course  of  the  year,  —  say  about  Christmas  and  mid- 
summer. The  plantations  resemble  a  thick,  tangled 
copse,  without  any  regularity,  and  require  no  cultiva- 
tion, after  being  once  set  out ;  though  by  close  trim- 


PRODUCTS  OF  CEYLON.  135 

ming  the  strength  is  thrown  downward,  and  the  shrub 
is  thought  to  render  a  better  crop.  The  raising  of 
the  spice  was  once  a  government  monopoly,  but  all 
restrictions  are  now  removed,  and  the  plantations  near 
to  Colombo  are  private  property.  In  driving  through 
them  —  for  they  are  miles  in  extent,  and  are  poetically 
called  cinnamon  gardens  —  we  tried  in  vain  to  detect 
the  perfume  derived  from  cinnamon ;  far  too  decided 
and  pungent  to  be  mistaken  for  aught  else.  It  is  not 
the  bloom  nor  the  berry  which  throws  off  this  scent, 
but  the  wounded  bark  in  process  of  being  gathered  at 
the  semi-annual  harvest.  These  cinnamon  fields  were 
very  sweet  and  fragrant ;  there  was  the  perfume  of 
flowers  in  the  air,  but  not  even  poetical  license  could 
attribute  it  to  the  cinnamon. 

The  wide-spread  coffee  plantations  were  much  more 
attractive  to  the  eye,  the  cultivation  of  which  forms 
one  of  the  principal  industries  of  the  island,  supple- 
mented by  the  raising  and  exporting  of  rice,  tea,  co- 
coanutSj  pine-apples,  plumbago,  and  precious  stones. 
Ceylon,  at  one  time,  almost  rivaled  Java  in  the  pro- 
duction of  coffee ;  statistics  showing  that  her  export 
of  the  berry  reached  the  large  amount  of  a  million 
hundred-weight  per  annum,  before  it  was  suddenly 
checked  by  the  leaf  disease,  which  has  impoverished 
so  many  of  the  local  planters.  Among  its  wild  ani- 
mals are  elephants,  deer,  monkeys,  bears,  and  pan- 
thers,—  fine  specimens  of  which  are  preserved  in 
the  excellent  museum  near  Colombo.  Pearl  oysters 
abound  on  the  coast,  and  some  superb  specimens  of 
this  beautiful  jewel  have  been  found  here,  while  no 
shore  is  richer  in  the  variety  and  quality  of  its  finny 
tribe.    Game  birds,  especially  of  aquatic  sorts,  prevail. 

Specimens  of  the  ebony,  satin-wood,  and  celamen- 


136  DUE   WEST. 

dar-trees  were  met  with,  the  latter  the  most  highly 
prized  of  all  cabinet  woods,  growing  in  wild  luxuri- 
ance, surrounded  by  palms,  bamboos,  fragrant  bal- 
sams, tall  ferns,  and  the  india-rubber-tree,  large  and 
lofty,  with  a  majority  of  its  anaconda-like  roots  lying 
above  the  surface  of  the  ground.  Here  and  there  we 
came  upon  dark,  shady  pools,  covered  with  the  bloom- 
ing lotus,  like  our  pond -lilies,  except  that  they  are 
much  larger.  The  floral  display  was  fascinating. 
Nature  seemed  to  revel  in  blossoms  of  various,  and,  to 
us,  unknown  species.  While  some  large  and  brilliant 
flowers  bloomed  on  trees,  others,  very  lovely  and 
sweet,  caught  the  eye  among  the  prolific  under- 
growth. Vivid  colors  flashed  before  the  observer, 
caused  by  the  blue  and  scarlet  plumage  of  the  feath- 
ered tribe  among  the  branches  of  the  trees,  some  with 
pleasant  trilling  voices,  and  others  uttering  harsh, 
shrill,  unfamiliar  cries.  The  variety  of  birds  was  a 
very  marked  feature  of  this  tropical  region.  The 
keen  voice  of  the  Ceylon  thrush  rang  in  our  ears  like 
the  scream  of  a  young  child.  Many  other  smaller 
birds  were  seen  in  rainbow  feathers  ;  and  a  sparrow, 
like  his  English  brother,  except  that  the  Ceylon 
species  wear  a  white  shirt  bosom. 

The  difference  between  a  tropical  forest  and  that 
of  our  temperate  zone,  which  at  once  challenges  the 
notice  of  the  traveler,  is  that  trees  of  the  same  fam- 
ilies do  not  characterize  any  particular  spot.  We 
have  pine  forests,  oak  forests,  cedar,  birch,  and  maple 
woods,  and  the  like ;  but  a  tropical  forest  contains 
specimens  of  the  most  widely  different  classes,  with 
every  possible  variety  of  family ;  and  the  same  may 
be  said  of  the  countless  climbing  plants  which  cling 
to  the  vertical  trunks.     The  various  kinds  of  the 


TROPICAL  LUXURIANCE.  187 

palm  are  sure  to  assert  their  predominance  every- 
where in  the  wooded  districts  and  jungles  of  the  trop- 
ics, yielding  an  abundance  of  their  valuable  fruits. 
But  at  the  north,  to  see  a  peach  or  apple-tree  bearing 
fruit  in  a  pine  grove,  or  fruitful  cherry  and  pear-trees 
among  a  forest  of  oaks,  would  cause  surprise.  It  is, 
after  all,  only  a  peculiarity  born  of  the  wonderful 
vegetable  productiveness  of  the  equatorial  region, 
which  gives  birth  to  fruits  and  flowers  wherever  there 
is  space  to  nourish  their  roots,  and  where  moisture 
and  heat  have  no  other  outlet  whereon  to  expend 
their  fructifying  powers.  The  bread-fruit-tree  is  es- 
pecially interesting,  with  its  deeply  serrated,  feathery 
leaves,  and  its  melon -shaped  fruit,  weighing  from 
three  to  four  pounds.  This  the  natives  prepare  for 
eating  in  many  ways,  and  as  the  tree  bears  fruit  con- 
tinually for  nine  months  of  the  year,  it  forms  a  most 
important  food  supply.  Two  or  three  trees  will  sup- 
port a  hearty  man,  and  half  a  dozen,  well  cared  for, 
will  sustain  a  small  family,  a  portion  of  the  fruit  be- 
ing dried  and  kept  for  the  non-producing  months. 
The  tree  grows  to  nearly  fifty  feet  in  height,  and  only 
requires  a  little  attention, — no  more  than  that  marvel 
of  productiveness,  the  banana. 

Here  we  saw,  for  the  first  time,  the  cardamom  and 
pepper  bushes  full  of  fruit,  and  the  kitool-palm  yield- 
ing its  harvest  of  sugar,  toddy,  and  sago.  The  usual 
pests  of  the  tropics  were  not  wanting  to  balance  all 
these  pleasant  sights.  Beetles,  dragon-flies,  cock-chaf- 
ers, locusts,  wasps,  and  vicious  spiders,  were  visible 
everywhere ;  while  the  omnipresent  mosquito  was 
ever  looking  out  for  a  victim.  The  curious  nest 
of  the  tailor -bird,  which  sews  leaves  together  and 
builds  a  dainty  nest  inside  of  them,  was  pointed  out 


138  DUE   WEST, 

to  us,  and  specimens  of  the  weaver  bird's  nest,  with 
entrance  tubes  over  two  feet  in  length.  Tliere  were 
also  pendent  nests  built  by  a  species  of  wasp  in  the 
trees,  which  indicated  a  nefarious  design  to  infringe 
upon  bird  architecture.  The  peacock  is  found  wild 
here  in  all  its  wealth  of  mottled,  feathery  splendor. 
Storks,  ibises,  and  herons  flew  up  from  the  lagoons, 
and  the  cooing  of  the  gentle  wood-pigeon  reached  the 
ear  during  the  quieter  moments.  The  woods,  and  in- 
deed all  out-doors  at  Ceylon,  seemed  like  a  conserva- 
tory of  exotic  birds  and  flowers. 

There  is  a  well-equipped  railroad  extending  from 
Colombo  northward  to  the  small  but  ancient  city  of 
Kandy,  running  thus  about  seventy-five  miles  into  the 
very  heart  of  the  ancient  native  kingdom,  and  giv- 
ing the  traveler  an  excellent  opportunity  to  view  the 
inland  scenery,  which,  at  many  points,  is  grand  and 
imposing.  Kandy  is  perched  in  a  basin  of  the  moun- 
tains, two  thousand  feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea, 
surrounded  by  thickly  wooded  hills ;  beyond  which  are 
broad  plains  and  thick  jungles,  which  are  very  rarely 
penetrated,  and  which  have  not  been  explored,  prob- 
ably, for  centuries.  Here  wild  elephants  are  to  be 
met  with  in  herds.  It  will  be  remembered,  that  they 
are  indigenous  to  Ceylon,  and  from  here  Hindostan 
was  supplied  in  the  centuries  that  are  gone,  when  the 
huge  animal  was  employed  in  such  large  numbers 
during  the  Mogul  reign.  In  those  days  there  were 
elephant  fights,  when  these  animals,  like  gladiators 
at  Rome,  were  trained  to  single  combats,  or  duels, 
for  the  pleasure  of  cruel  masters ;  and  such  was  their 
spirit  that  one  or  both  were  always  sacrificed  on  such 
occasions.  We  afterwards  saw,  in  India,  the  arenas 
where  these  gladiatorial  contests  took  place,  one  of 


NATIVE  HAUNTS  OF  THE  ELEPHANT.    139 

which  was  located  in  the  fort  at  Agra.  A  well- 
known  peculiarity  of  this  animal  is  the  fact  that  it  is 
almost  impossible  to  breed  from  them  in  a  domestic 
condition,  thus  rendering  it  necessary  to  replenish  the 
ranks  from  the  jungle.  In  their  wild  state  elephants 
are  a  prolific  animal ;  otherwise  Ceylon  would  long 
since  have  been  cleared  of  them,  since  thousands  have 
been  imported  from  here  into  India  within  the  last 
fifty  years.  The  Ceylon  elephants  prefer  the  low 
lying  forests,  but  do  not  confine  themselves  to  them, 
ranging  the  hills  to  a  height  of  six  or  seven  thousand 
feet,  where  the  nights  must  be  frosty  and  rather  se- 
vere. Their  principal  food  is  the  leafage  and  young 
shoots  of  various  trees,  the  wild  fig  being  a  favorite. 
There  are  other  trees  of  which  they  eat  the  bark,  and 
the  young  roots  of  the  bamboo  form  a  large  source 
of  their  food  supply.  Rice  is,  however,  their  favorite 
article  of  food,  and  they  often  devastate  whole  plan- 
tations in  a  single  night.  It  is  fortunate  that  the 
slightest  fence  will  keep  them  away  from  any  spot  so 
protected :  a  single  blow  of  their  trunks  would  de- 
stroy a  bamboo  fence,  but  they  never  attempt  it. 
Some  idea,  of  which  we  can  know  nothing,  possesses 
them  as  it  regards  these  frail  fences.  The  male  ele- 
phant in  Ceylon  gets  its  full  size  at  about  twenty-two 
years,  and  is  then  about  twelve  feet  in  height.  We 
were  told  that  they  averaged  about  a  hundred  years 
of  life,  but  in  India  a  much  longer  period  is  given 
them  by  general  calculation. 

It  has  been  found  necessary  to  protect  them  by 
special  law  in  Ceylon,  as  European  sportsmen  came 
hither  in  such  numbers  after  the  large  game,  that 
they  threatened  their  extinction.  There  is  now, 
therefore,  a  fine  of  five  hundred  pounds  imposed  by 


140  DUE   WEST. 

government,  as  a  penalty  for  killing  an  elephant ; 
but  some  ricli  English  sportsmen  kill  their  elephant 
and  pay  the  fine.  It  will  be  remembered  that  the 
Duke  of  Edinburgh  visited  the  island  a  few  years 
since  to  participate  in  an  elephant  hunt,  when  great 
preparations  were  made  for  him,  and  good  success, 
from  a  sportsman's  point  of  view,  was  achieved.  This 
style  of  hunting  involves  considerable  risk,  and  native 
beaters  are  liable  to  lose  their  lives  in  the  business. 
The  animals  found  on  the  island  seem  to  be  quite  a 
distinctive  breed  from  any  other  known  race,  and 
are  noted  for  their  intelligence,  as  well  as  for  their 
docility,  after  proper  domestication.  They  are  not  so 
large  as  those  of  Africa,  but  seem  to  be  more  highly 
prized  in  India.  The  exportation,  as  we  learned,  still 
goes  on  in  behalf  of  the  English  government,  sixteen 
hundred  animals  having  thus  been  disposed  of  in  the 
five  years  ending  in  1862,  and  about  the  same  number 
in  the  intervening  time  up  to  January,  1883,  all  of 
which  went  to  India. 

The  principal  object  of  interest  at  Kandy  is  the  re- 
nowned and  ancient  temple  of  Maligawa,  where  the 
sacred  tooth  of  Buddha  has  been  preserved  for  more 
than  fifteen  hundred  years.  It  is  an  indescribable  old 
shrine  of  irregular,  low  architecture,  black  and  grimy 
with  "  the  sacred  rust  of  twice  ten  hundred  years," 
surrounded  by  a  walled  court  and  small  stone  apart- 
ments. It  is  surmounted  by  a  tower,  manifestly  Eu- 
ropean in  design,  and  which  tells  its  own  story  as 
a  modern  addition.  It  is  massive  and  uncouth,  so 
as  hardly  to  admit  of  classification  ;  though  it  must 
once  have  been  the  central  object  of  worship  to  a  very 
large  population,  and  is  held  so  sacred  that  the  king 
and  priests  of  Burmah  and  Siam  still  send  valuable 


A  FILTHY  OLD  TEMPLE.  141 

presents  to  it  annually.  A  sacred  bo-tree  was  pointed 
out  to  us  in  the  grounds  near  the  temple,  believed  to 
be  the  oldest  historical  tree  in  the  world.  It  is  nearly 
allied  to  the  banyan  species,  and  its  record  has  been 
carefully  kept  since  three  hundred  years  previous  to 
the  Christian  era.  The  temple,  though  wearing  a 
most  deserted  and  neglected  aspect,  is  still  in  charge 
of  a  few  yellow-robed  priests,  who  keep  up  an  appear- 
ance daily  of  regular  services,  such  as  they  are,  and 
more  heathenish  ones  were  never  witnessed.  The 
ceremonies  during  our  brief  visit  consisted  of  gro- 
tesque dancing,  beating  of  drums,  and  blowing  upon 
a  shrill  fife  before  a  rude  altar,  upon  which  incense 
was  burning.  There  was  also  marching,  by  these 
musicians,  around  the  altar,  led  by  a  dirty,  blear-eyed 
priest.  The  scene  was  strongly  suggestive  of  a  pow- 
wow as  performed  by  the  Digger  Indians  of  Califor- 
nia. So  great  was  the  din,  we  were  quite  willing  to 
take  for  granted  the  presence,  in  another  part  of  the 
temple,  of  the  tooth  of  Buddha,  without  personal  in- 
spection, and  hastened  to  get  away  from  the  annoy- 
ance as  soon  as  possible.  As  we  came  out  of  the 
reeking,  stuffy,  infected  building,  we  expanded  our 
lungs  and  umbrellas  at  one  and  the  same  time,  for  it 
was  "  raining  cats  and  dogs  "  just  at  that  time,  and 
when  it  rains  near  the  equator  it  does  so  in  earnest ; 
umbrellas  become  a  fallacy :  nothing  less  than  an 
india-rubber  coat  is  of  any  avail.  What  an  exhibi- 
tion of  mummery  it  was  in  that  time-begrimed  tem- 
ple !  Ceylon  is  the  classic  ground  of  Buddhism,  as 
its  ruined  temples  and  monuments  prove,  —  a  faith 
which  still  prevails  so  generally  throughout  Burmah, 
China,  and  Japan. 

The  house  at  which  we  stopped  in  Kandy,  the  only 


142  DUE  WEST. 

one  designed  for  the  accommodation  of  travelers,  is 
called  the  Queen's  Hotel,  quite  pretentious,  quite 
expensive,  and  very  poor,  especially  as  it  regards 
the  table.  One  would  think  a  plenty  of  fruit,  at 
least,  might  be  afforded  where  it  only  costs  the  time 
and  trouble  of  gathering,  but  we  were  obliged  to 
seek  such  cheap  luxuries  of  the  intinerant  outsiders. 
There  was  a  liberal  abundance,  however,  in  the  insec- 
tivorous department.  Centipides  and  other  noxious 
creatures  abounded  in  the  sleeping-rooms.  Fire-flies 
floated  about  them  in  such  force  at  night  as  to  con- 
test the  illuminating  power  with  the  primitive  light 
supplied  to  guests,  by  means  of  a  small  cork  with  a 
bit  of  cotton  wicking  floating  upon  a  shallow  dish  of 
cocoanut  oil.  We  will  not  dilate  upon  the  still  more 
offensive  insects  which  disputed  our  sleeping  accom- 
modations with  us,  but  did  protest  when  the  rain 
came  pouring  through  the  roof  and  ceiling  upon  us  in 
bed.  A  large  tub  was  brought  in,  the  bed  removed 
to  another  corner ;  and  we  fell  asleep,  lulled  by  the 
dull  sound  of  dropping  water,  to  awake  next  morning 
and  find  the  tub  overflowing. 

We  drove  through  the  very  extensive  and  well- 
arranged  Botanical  Garden  of  Kandy,  designed  as  a 
sort  of  experimental  nursery  for  the  introduction  of 
such  plants  as  are  not  indigenous  to  the  island,  but 
which  might  prove  to  be  of  value  to  the  planters 
could  they  be  acclimated.  The  selection  of  various 
trees  and  plants  is  very  extensive,  and  mingled  with 
those  of  native  origin,  together  forming  a  collection 
of  remarkable  interest.  We  were  told  that  the  gar- 
den had  been  organized  for  some  sixty  years,  and 
it  is,  undoubtedly,  the  finest  in  the  East,  next  to  that 
of  Calcutta.     It  covers  a  hundred  and  fifty  acres  of 


THE  FLYING  FOX.  143 

well  economized  land.  There  was  one  fine  group, 
we  had  almost  said  grove,  of  bamboos  to  be  seen 
here,  the  stems  being  considerably  over  a  hundred 
feet  high,  and  from  eight  to  ten  inches  in  diame- 
ter, —  a  native  of  the  spot.  The  rapidity  of  growth 
which  characterizes  these  grasses  —  for  that  is  their 
family  —  is  almost  incredible.  The  large  cluster 
here  spoken  of  was  less  than  ninety  days  old,  and,  the 
superintendent  told  us,  increased  twelve  inches  a  day 
by  actual  measurement !  We  had  read  of  plants 
growing  at  such  speed  in  the  tropics  as  to  be  visible 
to  the  watcher,  and  this  group  of  bamboos  was  in- 
creasing at  the  rate  of  half  an  inch  each  hour.  It 
being  observed  that  the  atmosphere  was  impregnated 
with  a  delicate  flavor  of  vanilla,  inquiry  was  made  for 
the  cause,  and  the  plant  was  pointed  out  to  us  grow- 
ing in  thrifty  abundance  close  at  hand.  Nowhere 
had  we  previously  seen  such  extraordinary  exuber- 
ance and  variety  of  tropical  vegetation  combined. 

Some  of  the  palms  were  of  stupendous  size  and 
height,  while  there  appeared  to  be  a  spirit  of  emula- 
tion between  talipots,  palmyras,  date-palms  and  fan- 
palms,  as  to  which  should  develop  into  the  finest  spec- 
imen of  its  class.  There  were  plenty  of  flying  foxes 
in  these  grounds,  and  some  remarkable  specimens  of 
the  jungle-rope  creepers,  or  elephant-creepers,  as  they 
are  more  generally  called  here,  which  clasp  the  trees 
to  which  they  attach  themselves  as  if  with  the  pur- 
pose of  their  destruction,  which  they  often  succeed 
in  producing  by  their  anaconda-like-hug.  The  flying 
foxes,  as  was  explained  to  us,  are  a  great  annoyance, 
and  destructive  to  fruit  and  blossoms,  always  attack- 
ing the  choicest  specimens.  They  move  in  flocks  or 
herds  of  hundreds  from  one  place  to  another,  as  the 


144  DUE   WEST. 

most  desirable  food  tempts  them.  The  natives  never 
touch  them,  but  hunters  from  Europe  have  cooked 
and  eaten  them,  pronouncing  the  flesh  almost  the 
same  as  that  of  the  hare,  with  similar  game-like  flavor. 
It  is  not  safe  to  walk  much  in  the  more  moist  portions 
of  the  garden  as  there  is  an  abundance  of  snakes,  and 
especially  of  one  poisonous  kind  which  is  the  terror 
of  the  natives. 

On  the  passage  from  and  back  to  Colombo,  the 
scenery  was  grand,  and  a  source  of  great  pleasure,  for 
our  appreciation  in  this  line  was  becoming  somewhat 
trained.  So  abrupt  was  the  rising  grade  of  the  road 
on  the  portion  approaching  Kandy,  that  even  our 
small  train  of  two  passenger  cars  required  two  engines 
to  enable  it  to  surmount  the  hills.  The  road  wound 
about  the  mountain  in  rather  startling  proximity  to 
the  deep  gorges  and  precipitous  cliffs;  but,  as  re- 
marked above,  giving  us  glimpses  of  scenery  worthy 
of  the  Yosemite  in  the  opposite  hemisphere.  At  the 
several  small  stations  where  we  made  a  brief  halt, 
girls  and  boys  brought  to  the  windows  of  the  cars 
yellow  bunches  of  freshly  picked,  ripe  bananas,  very 
choice  and  appetizing,  the  price  of  which  was  six 
pennies  for  a  bunch  of  twelve  or  fifteen,  and  so  we 
partook  of  the  fat  of  the  land.  New  England  fruits, 
as  a  rule,  are  more  satisfactory  to  us  than  those  of 
any  other  country,  delicious  as  we  sometimes  find 
them  in  the  tropics ;  but  an  exception  may  be  safely 
made  in  favor  of  freshly  picked,  ripe,  luscious  ba- 
nanas and  pine-apples.  Green  cocoanuts,  which  the 
natives  much  affect,  were  offered  to  us,  but  having  a 
decided  preference  for  ripe  fruit,  these  were  respect- 
fully but  firmly  declined. 

The  common  people  along  the  route  live  in  the 


RARE   GEMS.  145 

very  simplest  and  frailest  of  huts,  made  of  bamboo 
frames  with  walls  of  mud,  the  roofs  consisting  of  a 
thatching  of  large  palm  leaves  ingeniously  combined, 
one  layer  upon  another,  so  as  to  effectually  exclude 
even  equatorial  rains.  The  overlapping  eaves  come 
within  a  couple  of  feet  of  the  ground,  the  huts  being 
one  story  high.  They  have  no  chimneys  nor  windows. 
The  door,  always  open,  admits  all  the  required  light, 
and  there  is  no  cold  to  be  feared  in  Ceylon.  What- 
ever of  cooking  the  people  do,  and  it  is  very  little,  is 
accomplished  out  of  doors.  Many  of  the  small  ham- 
lets through  which  we  passed  were  embedded  in  low- 
lying,  thickly-shaded  woods,  showing  the  salubrity 
of  the  climate,  since  in  some  countries  such  a  location 
would  prove  to  be  the  very  hot-bed  of  jungle  fever. 
Here  the  natives  work  in  the  rice  -  fields  and  the 
swamps  at  all  seasons  of  the  year,  and  seem  to  be 
perfectly  healthy  ;  but  we  were  told  that  when  Eu- 
ropeans attempt  it  they  die  off  by  scores.  Quite  a 
large  number  of  Singhalese  are  employed  by  dealers 
at  Colombo  to  hunt  the  beds  of  small  streams,  and  to 
dig  in  the  mountains  in  search  of  gems,  such  as  sap- 
phires, cat's-eyes,  moon-stones,  topazes,  and  rubies, 
which,  after  being  cut,  are  sold  to  European  and 
American  travelers,  and  also  exported  to  the  Paris 
and  London  jewelers.  A  large  proportion  of  the 
finest  precious  stones  in  the  market  come  from  this 
island. 

The  pools  in  the  low  grounds  here  and  there  were 
rendered  beautiful  and  fragrant  by  the  lotus  in  full 
bloom,  bearing  flowers  eight  inches  in  diameter,  rival- 
ing the  magnolias,  which  were  plenty  enough,  but 
which  seemed  by  no  means  superior  to  our  northern 
specimens.    Does  this  proud  representative  of  Flora's 

10 


146  DUE   WEST. 

kingdom,  like  humanity,  require  a  northern  and  in- 
vigorating atmosphere  to  inspire  its  greatest  fragrance 
and  best  qualities  ?  Coffee  plantations  are  most  nu- 
merous inland,  though  they  have  lately  developed  a 
serious  blight  which  has  reduced  the  production  at 
least  fifty  per  cent.,  causing  many  to  abandon  the 
cultivation  of  the  berry.  It  is  not,  like  the  cinnamon, 
indigenous  to  Ceylon,  but  was  introduced  here  from 
the  main-land.  Unless  this  serious  scourge  can  be 
overcome,  coffee,  as  an  export  from  the  island,  will 
very  soon  cease.  The  kind  best  known  and  mostly 
grown  here  is  the  "  Arab,"  which  thrives  at  an  ele- 
vation of  three  or  four  thousand  feet.  It  is  bush- 
like in  form,  and  trimmed  to  within  three  feet  of  the 
ground,  both  for  the  purpose  of  throwing  down  the 
strength  of  the  growth  into  the  berry,  and  for  the 
convenience  of  picking.  There  are  other  sorts  of 
coffee  raised,  but  this  has  formed  the  staple  of  the 
island.  Experiments  are  being  tried  with  several 
other  kinds  just  now,  cuttings  growing  with  good 
promise  in  nurseries,  which  were  brought  from  the 
West  Indies  and  South  America.  Curious  facts  sug- 
gest themselves  in  this  connection.  The  grape-vines 
of  France,  which  have  developed  blight,  transferred  to 
California,  take  on  fresh  life  and  flourish.  Those  of 
the  latter  State,  which  show  symptoms  of  exhausted 
life,  renew  their  productiveness  when  in  the  soil  of 
Europe.  The  same  result  relating  to  coffee  is  hoped 
for  in  Ceylon :  with  an  exchange  of  seed,  plentiful 
crops  are  confidently  anticipated,  a  matter  in  which 
commerce  is  much  interested. 

Realizing  that  the  coffee  crop  is  still  in  an  exper- 
imental condition,  some  of  the  planters  are  giving 
their  attention  to  the  cinchona,  which  thrives  greatly 


PRODUCTS  OF  CEYLON.  147 

at  Ceylon,  even  flourishing  at  elevations  where  coffee 
naturally  dies  out.  The  seeds  of  the  cinchona  are 
planted  in  nurseries,  and  when  six  months  old  are 
transplanted  into  prepared  fields,  where  they  make 
rapid  growth.  They  do  not  begin  to  yield  until  the 
tree  is  eight  years  old.  The  earnestness  with  which 
the  planters  have  generally  adopted  this  idea  must, 
if  successful,  as  it  seems  sure  to  be,  lead  to  very  de- 
cided results  when  the  crop  becomes  available  for  the 
markets  of  the  world. 

Banana  groves  and  orchards  bending  under  the 
weight  of  the  rich  nutritious  fruit,  tall  cocoanut- 
trees  with  half  a  ton  of  ripening  nuts  in  every  tuft 
top,  ant-hills  nearly  as  high  as  native  houses,  rippling 
cascades,  small  rivers  Avinding  through  the  green 
valleys,  tall  flamingoes  presiding  over  tiny  lakes,  and 
flowers  of  every  hue  and  shape,  together  with  birds 
such  as  one  gazes  at  with  curiosity  in  northern  mu- 
seums, all  crowded  upon  our  vision  on  this  trip  in- 
land. No  one  should  fail  to  visit  Kandy  who  lands 
at  Colombo,  there  is  so  much  to  see  and  to  marvel 
at.  Ceylon  is  a  very  Gan-Eden,  the  fairest  known 
example  of  tropical  luxuriance  in  all  its  natural  fea- 
tures, its  vegetable  and  animal  kingdoms,  its  fruits, 
flowers,  and  scenery.  In  point  of  location  the  island 
is  also  greatly  favored.  It  is  fortunately  situated 
outside  the  region  of  the  cyclones,  so  frequent  at  cer- 
tain seasons  in  the  Bay  of  Bengal  and  the  Indian 
Ocean,  as  well  as  being  free  from  the  hurricanes  of 
the  Mauritius  Sea,  and  the  volcanic  disturbances  of 
the  Eastern  Archipelago.  Snow  is  absolutely  un- 
known. The  exhibition  of  zodiacal  light  is  not  un- 
common, and  mirage  in  its  many  singular  and  inter- 
esting aspects  is  frequent ;  while  the  effulgence  of  the 
moon  and  stars  of  this  latitude,  —  a  constantly  re- 


148  DUE   WEST. 

ciirring  hymn  written  in  light,  —  will  render  the  most 
prosy  individual  enthusiastic,  keeping  the  heart  con- 
stantly awake  to  love  and  beauty. 

Ceylon  is  also  much  richer  than  is  generally  real- 
ized in  its  prehistoric  monuments,  —  ancient  Hindoo 
and  Buddhist  temples,  and  ruins  of  lofty  pagodas 
from  three  to  four  hundred  feet  in  height,  dating 
many  centuries  previous  to  the  appearance  of  Christ 
upon  earth.  What  an  unexplored  field  remains  for 
the  antiquarian,  not  quite  untrodden,  but  still  unde- 
veloped !  There  is  every  evidence  to  show  that  there 
once  existed  upon  this  island  a  great  and  powerful 
empire  ;  the  gigantic  remains  of  palaces  and  temples 
at  once  suggest  the  fact.  There  are  also  ruins  to  be 
seen  of  a  most  elaborate  system  of  irrigation,  which 
must  have  covered  the  country  from  Adam's  Peak  to 
Galle,  like  a  net-work,  with  most  perfect  means  to 
this  end,  so  excellent  as  to  be  the  marvel  of  modern 
engineers.  Their  completeness,  intelligent  purpose, 
and  extent  are  marvelous.  But  no  one  can  sa}^  or 
reasonably  surmise,  what  caused  the  ruin  and  deca- 
dence of  the  ancient  capitals,  which,  like  those  about 
Delhi,  have  crumbled  away,  leaving  only  a  blank  me- 
morial of  their  existence.  What  could  have  swept 
from  the  globe  a  population  of  millions,  and  left  us 
no  clearer  record  of  their  once  highly  civilized  occu- 
pancy ?  The  carved  pillars,  ornamental  fragments 
of  temples,  and  stone  slabs  skillfully  wrought,  which 
are  scattered  through  the  jungle,  and  in  some  in- 
stances overgrown  by  dense  forests,  attest  both  ma- 
terial greatness  and  far-reaching  antiquity.  It  would 
seem  as  though  nature  had  tried  to  cover  up  the 
many  wrinkles  of  age  with  blooming  vegetation. 
There  are  no  legends  even  extant  relating  to  the  ear- 
liest of  these  remains.    Paestum,  Memphis,  and  Cumae 


INSTINCTIVE  CRAVING  OF  HUMANITY.    149 

reach  far  back  into  the  dim  past,  though  here  the  an- 
tiquarian is  able  to  light  us  with  the  lamp  of  his 
knowledge ;  but  as  to  the  forest-covered  remains  of 
Ceylon,  all  is  a  blank,  skeletons  of  the  dead  and 
buried  past,  mementos  of  a  race  who  trod  this  beau- 
tiful island  perhaps  before  the  Pyramids  or  the 
Sphinx  existed. 

At  Singapore,  Penang,  and  Colombo  it  was  observed 
that  the  common  classes  were  incessantly  chewing  the 
betel-nut,  which  gives  to  their  teeth  and  lips  a  color 
as  if  bathed  in  fresh  blood.  It  is  a  well-known  and 
long-established  practice.  The  men  carry  the  means 
about  them  at  all  times,  and  taking  a  piece  of  the 
nut,  enclose  it  in  a  leaf  of  the  same  tree,  adding  a 
small  quantity  of  quicklime ;  folding  these  together 
they  chew  them  vigorously,  one  quid  lasting  for 
twenty-five  minutes  or  half  an  hour,  being  at  times 
permitted  to  rest  between  the  gum  and  the  cheek, 
as  seamen  masticate  a  quid  of  tobacco.  The  nut  is 
known  to  be  a  powerful  tonic,  but  only  a  small  por- 
tion of  the  juice  is  swallowed.  The  habit  is  univer- 
sal among  the  lower  classes  of  Asiatics.  In  the  south- 
ern districts  of  India,  pepper  and  cardamom  seeds  are 
added  to  the  quid,  and  it  is  then  considered  to  be  a 
partial  preventive  against  malarial  influences.  Un- 
less it  produced  some  agreeable  stimulating  effect  its 
use  would  not  be  so  common.  Wherever  we  go, 
among  civilized  or  savage  races,  upon  islands  or  upon 
continents,  in  the  chilly  North,  or  the  languid,  melt- 
ing South,  we  find  man  resorting  to  some  stimulant 
other  than  natural  food  and  drink.  It  seems  to  be 
an  instinctive  craving  exhibited  and  satisfied  as  surely 
in  the  wilds  of  Africa,  or  the  South  Sea  Islands,  as 
by  the  opium-consuming  Chinese,  or  the  brandy-drink- 
ing Anglo-Saxons. 


CHAPTER  VL 

Arrival  in  India.  —  Tuticorin.  —  Madura.  —  Bungalows.  —  Reptiles 
and  Insects.  —  Wonderful  Pagoda.  —  Sacred  Elephants.  —  Trichi- 
nopoly  and  its  Temples.  —  Bishop  Heber.  —  Native  Silversmiths, 
—  Tanjore.  —  The  Rajah's  Palace.  —  Pagoda  and  an  Immense 
Stone  Idol.  —  Southern  India.  —  City  of  Madras.  — Want  of  a  Har- 
bor. —  In  and  about  the  Capital.  —  Voyage  through  the  Bay  of 
Bengal.  —  The  Hoogly  River. — Political  Capital  of  India.  —  A 
Crazy  King.  —  The  Himalayas.  —  Sunset  and  Sunrise  at  Darjeeling. 

We  took  passage  in  the  British  mail  steamship 
Kebela  from  Colombo  to  Tuticorin,  the  extreme 
point  of  southern  India,  once  famous  for  its  pearl 
fisheries  ;  but  now  as  forsaken  and  sleepy  a  spot  as 
can  be  found  on  any  sea-coast.  The  distance  from 
Colombo  is  less  than  two  hundred  miles  through  the 
Straits  of  Manar,  and  we  landed  on  the  following 
day,  after  a  stormy  passage,  during  which  the  rain 
came  down  with  tropical  profuseness.  Ceylon,  at 
harvest  time  on  the  plantations,  imports  laborers  from 
the  southern  provinces  of  India,  who  are  very  glad 
thus  to  earn  a  small  sum  of  money,  a  commodity  of 
which  they  see  little  enough  at  home.  Seven  or 
eight  hundred  of  these  laborers,  having  fulfilled  their 
object  at  the  island,  were  returning  to  the  main-land, 
and  literally  crowded  the  lower  deck  of  the  Kebela 
fore  and  aft.  They  formed  rather  picturesque  groups 
as  they  reclined  or  stood  in  their  rags,  nakedness,  and 
high  colors  combined. 

When  we  got  up  the  anchor  in  the  harbor  of  Co- 
lombo, it  seemed  to  be  pleasant  enough,  but  scarcely 


rUTICORIN,  161 

were  we  outside  of  the  breakwater  before  the  steamer 
began  to  roll  and  pitch  lil^e  an  awkward  mule  under 
the  tickling  application  of  the  spur.  Too  much  ac- 
customed to  the  roughness  of  the  sea  to  heed  this, 
we  were  nevertheless  very  sorry  for  these  exposed 
deck-passengers,  few  of  whom  escaped  seasickness. 
Crowded  together  as  they  were  during  the  copious 
rainfall,  their  sufferings  that  afternoon  and  night  were 
pitiable.  There  were  some  families  with  women  and 
children,  and  such  shelter  as  a  canvas  awning  could 
afford  was  kindly  arranged  for  them.  When  we  an- 
chored in  shoal  water  off  the  coast  next  morning,  and 
the  big  flat-boats  came  to  take  them  ashore,  they  had 
hardly  strength  and  spirit  sufficient  to  tumble  into 
these  craft,  no  doubt  promising  themselves,  as  usual, 
never,  never  again  to  quit  the  dry  land.  The  water 
being  very  shallow,  the  Kebela  anchored  five  miles 
from  shore,  making  it  necessary  for  us  to  take  a  small 
steam-launch  to  land  at  the  little  toy  pier  built  on 
the  beach.  Our  miniature  vessel  was  tossed  about 
like  a  bit  of  cork  on  the  waves,  but  we  had  long  since 
come  to  regard  a  wetting  by  salt-water  as  a  trifling 
matter. 

Tuticorin  is  a  quaint  old  place  of  very  little  im* 
portance,  dingy  and  dilapidated.  It  is  represented 
to  have  twenty  thousand  inhabitants,  but  one  would 
not  have  set  the  figure  at  more  than  half  that  num- 
ber. There  is  still  something  done  here  in  the  pearl 
fisheries,  though  the  most  active  stations  are  situated 
some  thirty  miles  up  the  coast.  We  here  got  our 
first  view  of  a  new  race  of  people,  the  East  Indian 
proper,  in  his  native  land.  It  was  easy  to  detect  spe- 
cial differences  in  the  race  from  the  people  left  but  a 
short  day's  sail  behind  us.     They  were  tall  and  erect 


152  DUE   WEST. 

in  figure,  square  shouldered,  and  broad  chested.  Their 
complexions  were  lighter,  features  clearer  cut,  and 
they  were  a  more  active  race.  They  had  not  full 
lips  or  flat  noses  like  the  Singhalese  and  Malays ;  so 
that  although  there  was  a  similarity  between  them, 
yet  there  was  a  strong  difference  when  one  came  to 
sum  up  the  characteristics  of  each. 

The  architecture  of  the  town  is  peculiar,  and  the 
few  old  public  buildings  odd  in  the  extreme.  Tu- 
ticorin  sends  some  cotton,  rice,  and  cocoanuts  to  mar- 
ket, but  its  business  must  be  very  limited.  An  hour's 
walk  took  us  all  over  the  town  without  discovering 
any  object  of  special  interest.  Being  connected  by 
rail  with  northern  India,  if  there  were  depth  of  water 
sufficient  for  steamers  to  make  a  landing  here,  with- 
out lying  five  miles  off  shore,  Tuticorin  would  cer- 
tainly become  an  important  Indian  port.  It  was 
New  Year's  Day  when  we  landed,  and  was  apparently 
being  celebrated  in  an  humble  way  by  the  few  people 
whom  we  saw.  The  children  were  displaying  toys, 
playing  games,  and  some  bore  flowers  aloft  arranged 
upon  poles  as  wreaths  and  hoops.  Itinerant  peddlers 
were  disposing  of  sweetmeats  to  eager  boys  and  girls. 
Both  the  articles  sold  and  the  money  which  was  paid 
for  them  looked  new  and  strange.  Some  young  maid- 
ens, in  half  -  civilized  attire,  displayed  high-colored 
garments  and  small  scarlet  kerchiefs  on  their  heads. 
The  passion  for,  and  habit  of  wearing  cheap  jewelry, 
had  been  imported  even  here,  and  some  of  the  extrav- 
agances of  Colombo  were  copied  by  the  women  in  or- 
namentation of  ears,  nose,  and  lips.  Little  babies 
were  thus  bedecked,  and  the  tender  ears  of  some  con- 
sequently hung  distorted  and  stretched  three  inches 
downward,  both  the  upper  rim  and  the  lobe  of  the 


VERMIN  IN  INDIA,  153 

infant's  ear  being  perforated  with  rings.  Brass  ban- 
gles on  arms,  wrists,  and  ankles  were  the  rule,  some 
of  the  men  also  wearing  them.  Here,  on  the  main- 
land, the  tattooing  of  the  body  seemed  to  have  ceased, 
and  the  shining,  naked  skin  of  the  men  and  women 
looked  clean  and  healthy.  ^ 

In  the  afternoon  of  the  day  on  which  we  landed, 
the  cars  of  the  South  Indian  Railway  were  taken  to 
Madura,  one  hundred  miles  northward,  where  we 
arrived  late  in  the  evening,  and  took  lodging  in  a 
government  bungalow,  unfurnished,  except  by  a  few 
temporary  articles  improvised  for  the  occasion,  our 
meals  being  served  at  the  railroad  station  not  far 
away.  The  bungalow  was  in  the  midst  of  a  grove  of 
cocoanut  palms  which  loomed  high  above  our  heads, 
laden  with  masses  of  the  large  brown  fruit.  It  was 
dark  and  shady  even  at  noonday.  Close  by  was 
an  ancient  stone  well,  baths,  and  irrigating  means, 
showing  that  where  the  jungle  now  is  had  formerly 
been  a  cultivated  field  with  crops  of  grain.  Native 
shanties  were  located  all  about  the  neighborhood,  the 
people  living  mostly  out  of  doors,  gypsy  fashion.  It 
would  be  too  hot  to  cook  or  to  eat  within  these  low- 
roofed  mud  walls.  We  found  that  flies,  mosquitoes, 
and  scorpions  were  inclined  to  dispute  the  possession 
of  the  bungalow  with  us ;  and  ugly  looking  snakes 
were  seen  in  such  proximity  to  the  low  piazza  as  to 
suggest  their  uninvited  entrance  by  doors  or  windows. 
India  swarms  with  vermin,  especially  in  the  jungle. 
We  did  not  fail  to  examine  our  shoes  before  putting 
them  on  in  the  morning,  lest  the  scorpions  should 
have  established  a  squatter's  right  therein.  Flying 
foxes  were  seen  upon  the  trees,  sometimes  hang- 
ing motionless  by  the  feet,  at  others  swinging  to  and 


154  DUE    WEST, 

fro  with  a  steady  sweep.  Ants  were  now  and  then 
observed  moving  over  the  ground  in  columns  a  foot 
wide  and  three  or  four  yards  long,  evidently  with  a 
well  defined  purpose.  In  the  morning  light,  after  the 
sun  had  risen,  clouds  of  butterflies,  many-colored,  sun- 
shine-loving creatures,  large  and  small,  in  infinite 
variety,  flitted  about  the  bungalow,  some  with  such 
gaudy  spread  of  wing  as,  to  tempt  pursuit  —  but  with- 
out a  proper  net  they  are  difficult  to  secure.  Large 
brown,  bronze,  and  yellow  beetles  walked  through  the 
short  grass  with  the  coolness  and  gait  of  young  poul- 
try. Occasionally  a  chameleon  turned  up  its  singu- 
larly bright  eye,  as  though  to  take  cognizance  of  our 
presence.  The  redundancy  of  insect  and  reptile  life 
is  wonderful  in  southern  India.  The  railroad  stations 
and  the  road  itself,  admirably  constructed  and  very 
fairly  equipped,  are  the  only  evidences  of  European 
possession  to  be  seen  between  Tuticorin  and  Tan- 
jore,  a  distance  of  four  hundred  and  fifty  miles.  The 
road  passes  through  a  generally  well  cultivated  region 
where  thrifty  fields  of  wheat,  barley,  and  sugar-cane 
were  to  be  seen,  with  here  and  there  broad  fields  of 
intensely  yellow  mustard,  but  the  appearance  of  the 
people  and  their  mud  huts  indicated  abject  poverty. 
The  principal  attraction  to  the  traveler  in  Madura, 
which  contains  some  fifty  thousand  inhabitants,  is  a 
remarkable  and  ancient  pagoda,  supported  by  two 
thousand  stone  columns.  It  was  dedicated  to  Parvati, 
wife  of  Shiva,  and  is  one  of  the  largest  and  finest 
moituments  of  Hindoo  art  in  existence,  covering  in 
all  its  divisions,  courts,  shrines,  colonnades,  and  tanks 
twenty  acres  of  ground.  It  has  nine  lofty  tower- 
like gates  of  entrance  and  exit,  each  one  of  which 
has  the  effect  of  forming  an  individual  pagoda.     In 


THE    TEMPLE   OF  SHTVA.  155 

the  central  area  of  the  temple  is  what  is  known  as 
the  Tank  of  the  Golden  Lotus,  being  a  large  body  of 
water  covering  a  couple  of  acres  of  ground,  leading 
into  which  are  broad  stone  steps  on  all  sides,  where 
the  people  of  both  sexes  were  bathing  for  religious 
purification  ;  an  idea  not  hardly  compatible  with  the 
filthy  condition  of  the  water  itself,  which  was  nearly 
covered  with  a  green  slime.  The  temple  contains 
many  living  sacred  elephants,  deified  bulls  and  cows, 
enshrined  idols,  and,  to  us,  meaningless  ornamenta- 
tions, too  varied  and  numerous  for  description.  Our 
local  guide  stated  the  probable  cost  at  a  figure  so 
high  we  refrain  from  recording  it.  The  elephants 
rivaled  the  beggars  in  their  importunities,  being 
accustomed  to  receive  unlimited  delicacies  from  visit- 
ors, such  as  sweetmeats,  cakes,  candies,  and  the  like, 
of  which  these  creatures  are  immoderately  fond. 
One  peculiarity  of  this  temple  was  that  it  seemed  to 
serve  a  double  purpose,  being  dedicated  to  trade  and 
religion.  Within  its  walls  we  found  established  a 
large  number  of  trading  booths,  forming  a  sort  of 
bazar  or  fair,  where  were  exhibited  dry  goods,  toys, 
domestic  utensils,  jewelry ;  in  short,  all  sorts  of  fancy 
articles.  Madura  is  famous  for  producing  high-col- 
ored napkins,  small  shawls  and  table-cloths,  all  on 
fire  with  color,  and  here  they  were  displayed  in 
strong  kaleidoscopic  effect.  We  thought  it  must  be 
the  occasion  of  some  special  charitable  fair,  after  the 
practice  of  religious  societies  in  more  modern  coun- 
tries ;  but  were  informed  that  these  merchants  were 
engaged  in  their  regular  vocation,  and  were  perma- 
nent fixtures  in  the  temple.  The  natives  crowded 
about  these  small  bazars,  and  seemed  to  freely  invest 
the  few  coppers  they  had.     We  were  followed  about 


156  DUE   WEST. 

the  courts,  chapels,  and  departments  of  the  immense 
structure  by  a  motley  and  curious  crowd,  the  girls  and 
women  satisfied  to  watch  and  stare  at  us ;  but  the 
boys  had  imported  a  London  and  Dublin  idea  :  turn- 
ing cart-wheels,  somersaults,  and  walking  all  about 
us  on  their  hands,  with  feet  in  the  air,  to  attract  at- 
tention and  elicit  pennies.  One  little  fellow  gyrated 
about  in  a  most  marvelous  style,  keeping  so  persist- 
ently topsy-turvy  as  to  grow  black  in  the  face,  and  we 
finally  paid  him  to  keep  right  side  uppermost.  Beg- 
ging is  reduced  to  a  science  in  India,  and  our  little 
party  were  beset,  as  by  an  army  with  banners. 

Half  a  mile  from  this  grand  pagoda  is  situated 
Timal  Naik's  Tank,  so  named  after  the  munificent 
rajah  who  built  it.  He  reigned  at  Madura  from  1621 
to  1657,  building  palaces  and  temples  by  the  score. 
The  so-called  tank  is  an  artificial  lake  extending 
over  six  or  eight  acres,  with  a  temple  in  its  centre, 
very  picturesque  in  effect,  and  approached  only  by 
boats.  Timal  Naik's  palace  was  also  visited,  built 
some  three  hundred  years  ago,  of  granite,  and  a  very 
remarkable  piece  of  solid  architecture  it  is  for  India 
to  have  produced,  in  that  section,  and  at  that  epoch. 
The  principal  hall  of  this  royal  residence  has  over  a 
hundred  stone  pillars  supporting  it.  We  were  shown 
a  grand  Saracenic  hall,  with  a  noble  dome  nearly  a 
hundred  feet  across,  called  the  Hall  of  Justice.  The 
whole  of  this  grand  palace  is  now  being  thoroughly 
restored,  after  having  been  permitted  for  half  a  cen- 
tury and  more  to  fall  into  partial  decay.  We  must 
not  forget  to  mention  the  banqueting  hall  of  the  pal- 
ace ;  nothing  finer  of  this  character  exists  in  mod- 
ern architecture.  The  whole  was  a  surprise  and 
delight,  as  we  had  not  even  read  or  heard  of  this 
Indian  palace. 


ROCK  OF  TRICHINOPOLY.  167 

Another  hundred  miles  northward  by  rail  brought 
us  to  the  city  of  Trichinopoly,  where  we  were  quar- 
tered at  a  government  bungalow,  as  at  Madura,  tak- 
ing our  meals  at  the  dining-room  of  the  railroad  sta- 
tion, and  were  most  agreeably  disappointed  with  both 
the  service  and  the  provisions.  Surely  some  profes- 
sional cook  had  dropped  out  of  the  skies  and  settled 
here.  The  food  was  prepared  and  served  as  deli- 
cately as  at  a  Parisian  cafe.  The  variety  of  fruit 
and  pastry  was  a  temptation  to  the  most  satiated 
appetite.  Everything  was  neat  and  clean,  the  linen 
faultless,  and  the  glass  and  china  were  of  the  choicest. 
We  often  recalled,  when  putting  up  with  indifferent 
service  and  deprivations  elsewhere,  the  admirable  en- 
tertainment which  we  experienced  so  unexpectedly 
at  this  point.  Here  the  famous  Rock  of  Trichinopoly, 
from  five  to  six  hundred  hundred  feet  high,  crested 
with  the  Temple  of  Ganesa,  was  ascended,  and  a 
group  of  pagodas  visited  of  the  most  lofty  and  strik- 
ing character,  similar  in  extent  and  general  design 
to  those  already  spoken  of.  It  is  not  long  since,  at 
the  assembling  of  a  thousand  and  more  pilgrims  upon 
this  lofty  and  exposed  Rock  of  Trichinopoly,  a  panic 
ensued  from  some  unknown  cause,  when  fully  half  of 
these  pilgrims  lost  their  lives  by  being  crowded  off 
and  falling  over  the  rocky  precipice,  a  distance  of 
five  hundred  feet.  There  is  no  protection  to  the  nar- 
row, winding  path  by  which  the  apex  is  reached,  and 
some  nerve  is  required  to  accomplish  the  ascent. 

The  view  from  this  eminence  is  exceptionally  fine. 
The  native  town  far  below  us  looked  as  though  it 
had  been  shaken  up  and  dropped  there  in  confusion 
by  some  convulsion  of  nature.  There  is  no  regularity 
in  the  laying  out  of  the  place  ;  it  is  a  confused  mass 


158  DUE    WEST. 

of  buildings,  narrow  paths,  crooked  roads,  and  low- 
built  mud  cabins.  We  visited  what  is  called  the 
silversmith's  quarter,  but  it  was  utterly  unlike  what 
such  a  locality  would  be  elsewhere,  composed  of  one- 
story  mud  cabins,  in  narrow  filthy  lanes  full  of  chick- 
ens, mangy  dogs,  cats,  and  quarrelsome  children.  No 
one  but  a  native  would  suspect  these  hovels  to  con- 
tain choice  and  finely  wrought  silver  ornaments,  and 
that  the  entire  manufacture  was  performed  upon  the 
spot.  These  workmen,  nevertheless,  have  a  reputa- 
tion for  the  excellence  and  originality  of  their  prod- 
uct, which  extends  beyond  the  borders  of  India. 
Boxes  were  produced  from  odd  corners,  which  were 
full  of  exquisite  silver  work,  forming  such  articles 
as  bracelets,  necklaces,  rings,  pins,  belts,  etc.,  from 
which  our  party  made  selections.  Trichinopoly  is 
also  famous  for  the  manufacture  of  cigars,  called  che- 
roots, exported  to  all  parts  of  India  and  the  East,  and 
which  keep  employed  the  busy  fingers  of  a  large  num- 
ber of  the  men  and  women  of  the  town.  In  passing 
the  open  doors  of  the  dwellings,  cabins,  or  huts,  young 
girls  and  boys  were  seen  rolling  up  the  cheroots,  sit- 
ting cross-legged  beside  low  benches.  The  man- 
ufacture of  cutlery  is  also  a  specialty  here,  and  the 
place  has  some  sixty  thousand  population.  It  will 
be  remembered  that  the  remains  of  Bishop  Heber 
were  buried  at  Trichinopoly,  where  he  was  drowned 
while  bathing,  in  the  year  1826.  Here  also  occurred 
some  fierce  struggles  between  the  French  and  Eng- 
lish for  the  sovereignty  of  southern  India. 

Two  hundred  miles  of  night  travel  by  rail  brought 
us  to  Tanjore,  a  large  fortified  city,  where  we  were 
again  quartered  in  a  government  bungalow,  there 
being  no  hotel  designed  to  accommodate  travelers. 


CAR   OF  JUGGERNAUT.  159 

• 

The  palace  of  tlie  late  Rajah,  an  ancient  building 

with  lofty  towers,  and  still  occupied  by  the  ex-queen, 
was  quite  interesting.  We  were  permitted  to  exam- 
ine its  internal  economy,  and  found  by  the  library 
that  her  husband  was  a  man  of  cultivation  and  taste, 
especially  well  read  in  the  classics,  and  a  good  lin- 
guist. His  bookcases  showed  several  thousands  of 
good  and  well  -  thumbed  books  in  English,  French, 
Latin,  and  Greek. 

Here  we  saw  a  large  gilded  car  of  Juggernaut,  the 
Indian  idol,  which  makes  its  annual  passage  to  and 
from  the  temple  when  the  idol  takes  its  yearly  airing, 
and  is  drawn  by  thousands  of  worshipers,  who  have 
come  from  afar  to  assist  at  the  strange  and  senseless 
festival.  Pilgrims,  delirious  with  fanaticism,  do  some- 
times throw  themselves  under  the  ponderous  wheels 
and  perish  there,  but  the  stories  current  among  writ- 
ers upon  the  subject  as  to  the  large  number  of  these 
victims  are  much  exaggerated.  This  self-immolation, 
like  that  of  the  burning  of  widows  upon  their  hus- 
band's funeral  pyres,  has  latterly  been  suppressed. 
Between  1815  and  1826,  fifteen  thousand  widows 
thus  perished  in  India !  We  were  told  that  in  some 
native  provinces  the  practice  was  even  now  secretly 
followed  to  some  extent,  but  this  is  doubtful. 

The  grand  pagoda  of  Tan j ore  has  been  rendered 
familiar  to  us  by  engravings  and  is  truly  remarkable, 
being  esteemed  the  finest  specimen  in  India  of  pagoda 
construction.  It  is  fourteen  stories  high,  and  in  the 
absence  of  figures  we  should  say  was  over  two  hun- 
dred feet  from  the  base  to  the  top,  and  about  eighty 
feet  square  at  the  ground.  Among  its  other  strange 
idols  and  emblems  it  contains,  in  the  area  before  the 
main  temple,  in  a  demi-pagoda,  the  gigantic  figure  of 


160  DUE   WEST. 

a  reclining  bull,  hewn  from  a  single  mammoth  block 
of  black  granite,  and  supposed  to  be  of  great  antiq- 
uity. It  stands  within  an  open  space,  raised  some 
twelve  feet  above  the  surrounding  court,  upon  a  gran- 
ite plinth  of  the  same  color,  but  how  it  could  have 
been  raised  there  intact  is  a  marvel. 

All  of  these  structures  are  kindred  in  design,  re- 
producing here  at  Tan j ore  the  spirit  and  many  of  the 
same  figures  which  were  seen  at  Madura  and  Trichi- 
nopoly.  As  they  are  the  temples  of  the  same  idola- 
trous race  this  is  natural.  All  are  many  centuries 
in  age,  and  are  characterized  by  grotesqueness,  las- 
civiousness,  caricature,  and  infinite  detail  of  finish. 
Though  they  are  outrageously  gaudy  in  colors,  yet 
are  they  on  so  grand  and  costly  a  scale  as  to  create 
amazement  rather  than  disgust.  It  would  seem  that 
a  people  equal  to  such  efforts  must  have  been  capa- 
ble of  something  far  better.  In  all  grosser  forms 
of  superstition  and  idolatry,  carnal  and  material  ele- 
ments seem  to  be  essential  to  bind  and  attract  the 
ignorant;  and  this  was  undoubtedly  the  governing 
policy  of  a  religion  embodying  emblems  so  outra- 
geous to  Christian  sensibility.  This  grand  pagoda 
at  Tan  j  ore,  taken  as  a  whole,  was  the  most  remark- 
able religious  monument  we  saw  in  India.  The  city 
has,  as  prominent  local  industries,  the  manufacture  of 
silk,  cotton,  and  muslins.  It  is  also  surrounded  by 
vast  rice-fields  the  product  of  which  it  largely  ex- 
ports to  the  north.  Another  day  upon  the  cars 
traveling  due  north  brought  us  to  Madras,  where  we 
found  a  good  hotel  and  excellent  accommodations,  to 
which  we  were  in  a  frame  of  body  and  mind  to  do 
ample  justice. 

In  traveling  through  southern  India  to  this  point, 


ANCIENT  TEMPLES.  161 

we  observed  frequently  on  the  route  of  the  railroad 
strange  monuments  and  many  ruins  of  temples,  pa- 
godas, and  odd  structures  of  stone,  manifestly  serv- 
ing in  by-gone  ages  some  religious  purpose.  Now 
and  again  in  open  fields,  or  more  generally  by  small 
groves  of  trees,  there  were  mammoth  stone  elephants, 
horses,  bulls  and  cows,  more  or  less  crumbled  and 
decayed  by  the  wear  of  centuries,  but  evidently  ob- 
jects of  worship  by  the  people  who  constructed  them, 
being  still  held  too  sacred  to  be  meddled  with  by  the 
ignorant  and  superstitious  natives,  whose  mud  hovels 
cluster  about  them.  At  several  points,  away  from 
any  present  villages  or  hamlets,  large  irregular  circles 
of  heavy,  unwrought  stones  were  observed  in  open 
fields,  or  near  to  some  mounds  of  grass  grown  earth, 
perhaps  covering  the  remains  of  former  shrines. 
These  seemed  of  the  same  character  and  called  to 
mind  the  ancient  debris  which  still  exists  at  Stone- 
henge,  and  undoubtedly  marked  the  spot  of  ancient 
sacrifice.  Large  flocks  of  goats  tended  by  herds- 
men were  distributed  over  the  plains,  and  so  level  is 
the  country  that  the  eye  could  make  out  these  groups 
for  miles  away  on  either  side  of  the  track.  Well 
cultivated  plantations  of  sugar-cane,  plantains,  rice, 
wheat,  and  orchards  of  fruit  were  constantly  coming 
into  view  from  the  cars.  The  olden  style  of  irriga- 
tion was  going  on  by  means  of  the  shaduf,  worked 
by  hand,  the  same  as  was  done  in  the  East  four 
thousand  years  ago ;  while  the  very  plow,  rude  and 
inefficient,  which  is  used  upon  these  plains  to-day,  is 
after  the  fashion  belonging  to  the  same  period.  In- 
deed, except  that  the  railroad  runs  through  southern 
India,  there  seems  to  have  been  no  progress  there  for 
thousands  of  years.  A  lethargy  of  the  most  hopeless 
11 


162  DUE   WEST. 

character  appears  to  possess  the  people.  Their  mud 
cabins  are  not  suitable  covering  for  human  beings,  and 
are  distanced  in  neatness  by  the  colossal  ant-hills  of 
wooded  districts.  Such  a  degraded  state  of  human- 
ity can  hardly  be  found  elsewhere  among  semi-civil- 
ized races.  The  women  seemed  to  be  worn  down 
by  hardships,  and  were  pitiable  to  look  upon  ;  but  the 
men  were  of  dark  hue,  straight  in  figure,  always  thin 
in  flesh,  and  remarkably  like  our  American  Indians. 
Nudity  is  the  rule  among  them,  clothing  the  excep- 
tion. It  seems  like  a  strange  assertion,  but  it  is  a 
fact,  two  thirds  of  the  human  family  go  naked  in  the 
nineteenth  century. 

Madras  is  situated  on  the  open  Bay  of  Bengal, 
without  even  the  pretense  of  a  harbor,  though  a 
grand  stone  breakwater,  like  that  at  Ceylon,  is  in 
course  of  construction.  It  is  after  the  plan  which 
was  adopted  by  De  Lesseps  at  Port  Said,  forming  the 
Mediterranean  entrance  of  the  Suez  Canal.  The  ma- 
terial which  is  being  employed  for  the  purpose  is 
also  the  same,  and  is  composed  of  a  conglomerate  of 
small  stones  and  cement  in  the  form  of  large  cubes. 
The  Prince  of  Wales,  when  on  his  visit  to  India  some 
five  or  six  years  since,  laid  the  foundation  stone  of 
this  structure,  but  though  it  is  so  much  needed  it 
seemed  to  us  to  grow  very  slowly.  No  more  unpro- 
tected spot  could  be  found  on  the  surf-beaten  shoi-e 
of  the  Coromandel  coast,  so  completely  is  it  exposed 
to  the  fury  of  the  northeast  monsoons.  It  is  singu. 
lar  that  it  was  ever  selected  for  a  commercial  port, 
being  inaccessible  to  sailing  vessels  from  October  to 
January,  and  yet  it  was  the  first  capital  of  the 
British  possessions  in  India.  Such  a  surf  is  nearly 
always  to  be  found  on  the  shore  that  nothing  but  the 


FORT   GEORGE.  163 

peculiar  boats  of  the  natives  can  pass  it,  and  in  foul 
weather  it  is  in  vain  for  even  them  to  attempt  it. 
Nevertheless  along  this  inhospitable  shore,  for  a  dis- 
tance of  several  miles,  there  extends  a  thriving, 
finely  laid  out  city,  with  a  population  of  nearly  half  a 
million. 

Madras  is  spread  out  over  a  very  large  territory, 
with  broad  open  fields  and  squares,  some  designed 
for  drill  grounds,  some  for  games  of  ball,  some  purely 
as  ornamental,  with  choice  trees  and  shrubs.  An 
abundant  and  handsome  growth  of  trees  all  about 
the  city,  lining  the  thoroughfares  and  beautifying  the 
open  squares,  testifies  to  the  judicious  attention  given 
by  the  authorities  to  this  species  of  ornamental  and 
grateful  shade,  necessary  in  so  warm  a  climate.  We 
remember  especially  a  fine  and  quite  remarkable  ave- 
nue of  banyan-trees  on  what  is  called  the  Mowbray 
Avenue.  The  wide  streets  are  admirably  kept,  being 
carefully  macadamized,  over  which  carriage  wheels 
glide  with  noiseless  motion.  This  description  ap- 
plies, however,  only  to  the  European  portion  of  the 
town,  with  its  fine  public  buildings,  consisting  of 
many  literary  and  scientific  institutions,  as  well  as 
educational  and  charitable  ones.  The  native  portion 
of  Madras  is  contracted,  mean,  and  dirty  in  the  ex- 
treme, the  common  people  showing  a  degree  of  in- 
digence and  indifference  to  decency  which  is  abso- 
lutely appalling  to  witness  in  so  large  a  community, 
but  it  was  quite  in  accordance  with  what  we  had  ob- 
served farther  south.  The  elaborate  English  fort  is 
one  of  the  strongest  and  best  constructed  fortifica- 
tions in  the  East,  forming  a  most  prominent  feature 
of  the  city,  and  crowning  a  moderate  rise  of  ground 
contiguous  to  the  shore  with  its  attractive  surround- 


164  DUE   WEST. 

ings,  white  walls,  graceful  though  war-like  buildings, 
flower  plats,  and  green,  sloping  banks.  Fort  George 
was  the  original  name  of  Madras.  The  noble  light- 
house is  within  the  grounds,  —  a  lofty  structure  con- 
siderably over  a  hundred  feet  in  height,  and  visible 
nearly  twenty  miles  at  sea.  Near  this  spot,  along 
the  coast  to  the  northward,  are  the  rock-cut  temples 
of  Mahabalihuram,  rendered  familiar  by  Southey's 
charming  poetry. 

At  night  we  were  lulled  to  sleep  by  the  hoarse, 
sullen  roar  of  the  restless  waters.  By  day  it  was 
curious  to  watch  the  long  surf-washed  beach,  directly 
in  front  of  our  hotel,  and  to  see  the  fishermen  strug- 
gle with  the  waves  in  their  frail,  but  well  adapted 
native  boats,  called  catamarans.  These  are  con- 
structed of  three  pieces  of  timber,  ten  or  twelve  feet 
long,  tied  securely  together  with  cocoanut  fibre  ;  the 
middle  one  being  longer  than  the  others,  and  curved 
upwards  at  each  end.  Two  men  generally  go  to- 
gether, and  force  them  through  the  water  with  short 
paddles  used  alternately  on  either  side.  We  saw 
them  repeatedly  washed  off  by  the  surf ;  but  as  they 
are  naked  and  good  swimmers,  they  either  reach  the 
boat  again,  or,  if  driven  away  from  it  by  the  sea  and 
undertow,  regain  the  shore.  Sometimes  only  one  is 
washed  off,  but  not  unfrequently  both  are  compelled 
to  swim  back  to  the  shore  where  the  frail  boat  itself 
is  soon  after  thrown  high  upon  the  beach  by  the 
power  of  the  waves.  We  were  told  that  it  was  a 
very  rare  circumstance  for  one  of  these  Madras  boat- 
men to  lose  his  life  by  drowning,  as  they  become  such 
expert  swimmers. 

A  peculiar  boat  is  also  used  between  the  wharves 
and  the  shipping,  which  come  to  anchor  some  dis- 


SURF-BOATS  OF  MADRAS.  165 

tance  off  shore,  landing  passengers  or  taking  them 
from  the  shore  to  the  ship.  Even  where  these  boats 
are  used,  partially  protected  by  the  half-completed 
breakwater,  no  common  boat  would  answer  the  pur- 
pose, or  would  stand  the  strain.  The  surf  runs  high 
even  here,  though  not  so  fiercely  as  on  the  open 
beach.  The  Madras  boat  is  large  and  light,  con- 
structed of  thin  planks  sewed  together  with  hide 
thongs,  and  caulked  with  cocoanut  fibre.  No  nails 
enter  into  its  construction,  nor  would  answer  the 
purpose,  which  the  yielding  thongs  only  are  fitted  for. 
Each  of  these  boats  is  propelled  by  at  least  eight 
rowers,  who  use  an  oar  shaped  like  a  spoon,  being  a 
strong  elastic  pole  with  a  flat,  rounded  end,  securely 
lashed  to  it  by  hide  thongs.  The  men  pull  regularly 
until  they  get  into  the  surf,  and  then  they  work  like 
mad,  and  the  light  boat  is  landed  high  and  dry  on  the 
shelving  sands. 

Along  the  shore  of  the  business  section,  the  broad 
street  is  lined  with  lofty  commercial  warehouses, 
custom  house,  hongs  and  godowns,  and  we  observed 
considerable  building  in  progress  just  at  this  point. 
The  submerged  breakwater  should  be  brought  up  to 
its  proper  height  before  anything  else  is  attempted 
in  or  near  the  bay.  Anchorage  is  very  precarious, 
large  steamers  being  compelled  to  keep  up  steam  to 
ease  any  strain  which  may  come  upon  their  land 
tackle.  One  large  iron  vessel  lay  a  wreck  upon  the 
beach,  and  was  sold  at  auction,  to  be  broken  up, 
while  we  were  there.  She  was  loaded  with  coal  for 
the  depot  of  the  P.  and  O.  line. 

In  driving  and  strolling  about  the  city  we  noted 
many  local  pictures.  Groups  of  professional  dancing 
girls  are  to  be  seen  in  all  of  the  cities  of  India,  gen- 


166  DUE   WEST. 

erally  attached  to  some  temple,  as  no  religious  cere- 
mony or  gala  day  is  considered  complete  without 
them ;  and  indeed  the  same  may  be  said  of  any  large 
private  entertainment,  as  guests  never  dance  in  the 
East,  preferring  to  hire  such  work  done  for  them. 
These  dancers  are  accompanied  by  a  musical  instru- 
ment very  much  like  a  guitar,  and  sometimes  by  tam- 
bourines and  fifes.  Many  of  the  girls  are  delicate 
and  graceful  both  in  form  and  manner.  Those  who 
adopt  the  calling  consecrate  themselves  to  it  by  some 
religious  ceremony,  and  ever  after  are  connected  with 
the  temples.  They  preserve  decency  and  propriety 
in  their  public  performances,  which  is  curious  to  wit- 
ness; their  ankles  being  covered  with  silver  bells  and 
their  wrists  and  arms  similarly  decked.  Tlieir  effort 
appears  to  be  that  the  bells  should  be  so  agitated  as 
to  ring  in  harmony  with  the  instruments  ;  but  the 
fact  is  there  is  no  harmony  about  either.  These  girls 
depend  more  in  their  performance  upon  pantomime, 
expression  of  features,  pose  of  body,  and  graceful 
posturings,  than  upon  any  great  exertion  of  muscle. 

In  their  peculiar  performance  there  is  no  exposure 
of  the  person,  as  in  the  Parisian  style  of  dancing, 
only  half  clad  as  they  are.  These  Indian  girls  en- 
deavor to  tell  a  story  by  their  dance  :  to  express  love, 
hope,  tenderness,  jealousy,  and  other  passions,  all  of 
which  are  so  well  portrayed,  as  a  rule,  that  one  can 
easily  follow  their  pantomime.  When  idle,  they 
sometimes  perform  as  itinerants  in  the  streets  and 
squares,  as  was  the  case  when  we  chanced  to  see  a 
small  group  at  Madras.  Positive  information  regard- 
ing them  is  not  to  be  obtained,  but  enough  was  heard 
to  satisfy  us  that  they  constitute  a  priestly  harem. 

After  passing  a  very  pleasant  week  in  Madras,  we 


MOTHER    CAREY'S   CHICKENS.  167 

sailed  at  daylight,  on  the  11th  of  January,  in  the 
P.  and  O.  steamship  Teheran,  for  Calcutta,  through 
the  Bay  of  Bengal,  a  five  days'  voyage.  Soon  after 
leaving  the  roadstead  of  Madras  there  was  pointed 
out  to  us  on  the  port  bow  the  low  lying  coast  of 
Orissa,  India,  where  the  famine  of  1866  carried  off 
one  million  of  souls.  As  we  drew  northward  a  de- 
cided difference  in  the  temperature  was  realized,  and 
was  most  agreeable;  the  thermometer  showing  70° 
at  Calcutta,  in  place  of  90°  at  Madras,  so  that  por- 
tions of  clothing,  discarded  when  we  landed  at  Cey- 
lon, were  now  resumed.  Since  entering  these  south- 
ern waters  we  had  remarked  the  entire  absence  of 
sea-gulls,  so  ever-present  on  the  Atlantic  and  North 
Pacific ;  but  the  abundance  of  Mother  Carey's  Chick- 
ens, as  the  little  petrel  is  called,  made  up  for  the 
absence  of  the  larger  birds.  It  is  swallow-like  in 
both  its  appearance  and  manner  of  flight,  and  though 
web-footed  is  rarely  seen  to  light  on  the  water.  It 
flies  very  close  to  the  surface  of  the  sea,  frequently 
dipping  for  food  ;  but  never  quite  losing  its  power  of 
wing,  or  at  least  so  it  appeared  to  us.  Sailors,  who 
are  a  proverbially  superstitious  race,  seriously  object 
to  passengers  at  sea  who  attempt  to  catch  the  petrel 
with  hooks  baited  with  food  and  floated  on  the  water, 
or  by  any  other  means,  contending  that  ill-luck  will 
follow  their  capture. 

The  ocean  currents  along  the  coast  of  Coromandel 
are  marked  and  curious,  requiring  special  care  in  nav- 
igation. Unless  observations  can  be  had  by  aid  of 
the  sun  at  noon-day,  no  ship  is  sure  of  her  position ; 
dead  reckoning  will  not  answer  here.  We  were  re- 
minded in  these  waters  of  other  currents :  the  Gulf 
Stream,  for  instance,  on  our  own  shore,  finds  its  rise 


168  DUE   WEST. 

in  the  tropics,  say  in  the  Caribbean  Sea  and  G  ilf  of 
Mexico,  moves  northeast  along  the  American  coast, 
gets  a  cant  on  the  banks  of  Newfoundland,  and  after 
crossing  the  Atlantic,  spends  its  force  on  the  shores 
of  Western  Europe.  The  Japan  Current,  as  it  is 
called  by  seamen,  originates  in  the  Indian  Ocean, 
moves  northward  along  the  eastern  shore  of  Asia,  and 
is  divided  by  the  Aleutian  Islands  and  the  Alaska 
Peninsula,  one  branch  going  to  the  Arctic  Ocean,  and 
the  other  along  the  west  coast  of  America  into  the 
South  Pacific.  These  details  become  very  interesting 
to  the  traveler  when  passing  long  weeks  upon  the 
ocean,  observing  how  the  vessel  in  which  he  sails  is 
either  favored  or  retarded  by  these  known  forces. 

Our  course  was  due  north  until  we  anchored  at  the 
mouth  of  the  Hoogly  River  to  await  a  favorable  tide, 
finally  arriving  at  Calcutta  on  the  evening  of  the  15th 
of  January.  The  intricate  navigation  of  the  Hoogly, 
with  its  treacherous  sands  and  ever-shifting  shoals,  is 
conducted  by  a  pilot  system  especially  organized  by 
government,  and  is  composed  exclusively  of  English- 
men. No  vessel  can  hope  to  ascend  the  river  safely 
without  being  in  charge  of  one  of  these  pilots.  We 
saw  a  large  iron  steamship,  which  was  a  quarter  of  a 
mile  ahead  of  the  Teheran,  in  her  attempt  to  make 
the  mouth  of  the  Hoogly,  caught  by  an  adverse  cur- 
rent, through  what  seemed  to  be  a  very  trifling  mis- 
calculation, and  she  was  cast  aground  as  quickly  as 
though  blown  on  a  lee  shore  by  a  tornado.  We 
passed  her  as  we  went  in,  with  both  her  anchors  out, 
adopting  various  nautical  expedients  to  get  afloat. 
As  the  accident  occurred  on  a  rising  tide,  we  have 
no  doubt  that  she  finally  got  free  from  her  danger- 
ous  position. 


AN  INTERESTING  CITY,  169 

Calcutta  is  the  political  capital  of  India,  but  since 
the  opening  of  the  Suez  Canal,  Bombay  rivals  it  in 
all  commercial  respects.  It  was  rather  surprising  to 
find  so  poor  a  hotel  as  the  "  Great  Eastern  "  proved 
to  be.  It  is  calculated  to  receive  within  its  walls  at 
least  one  hundred  to  one  hundred  and  fifty  guests, 
and  yet  does  not  present  the  ordinary  domestic  com- 
forts to  be  found  in  an  American  country  tavern.  A 
good  hotel  is  a  prime  necessity  to  any  city,  and  is  of 
more  importance  to  the  interests  of  the  inhabitants 
at  large,  and  to  its  trades-people  especially,  than  is 
generally  realized.  We  were  told  by  our  banker  and 
others  that  the  complaint  in  this  matter  was  so  gen- 
eral that  a  company  was  forming  to  give  to  the  city  a 
first-class  hotel  on  the  American  system,  a  consum- 
mation devoutly  to  be  wished.  At  present  tourists 
visiting  Calcutta  would  be  prompted,  as  we  were,  to 
abbreviate  their  stay  in  the  city,  solely  for  want  of 
a  good  temporary  home. 

Calcutta  is  a  very  interesting  city,  very  Indian, 
notwithstanding  so  many  Europeans  live  here  and  it 
has  so  long  been  under  English  rule  ;  but  it  is  by  no 
means  entitled  to  the  name  so  often  given  to  it,  the 
"  City  of  Palaces.'*  It  is  quite  modern,  having  no 
remains  of  antiquity  in  or  about  it,  and  in  1686  was 
but  a  mud  village.  As  seen  from  the  Hoogly  when 
one  first  lands,  it  has  a  strong  array  of  fine  public 
buildings ;  but  a  passage  of  a  few  rods,  diverging 
from  the  main  thoroughfare,  brings  the  visitor  upon 
the  dirty  streets,  the  mean  and  narrow  houses,  and 
general  filth  of  the  native  population.  The  city  is 
strongly  individualized,  and  it  may  be  remarked  that 
of  all  the  capitals  thus  far  visited  no  two  are  alike,  or 
strongly  resemble  each  other.    All  differ  radically  in 


170  DUE  WEST, 

manners  and  customs,  modes  of  conveyance,  dress, 
architecture,  and  local  color.  We  visited  some  of  the 
palaces  of  the  native  princes,  which  show  in  what  ex- 
travagant style  they  formerly  lived,  until  compelled 
to  come  under  English  control.  Many  of  these  struc- 
tures were  partially  denuded,  and  none  pretended  to 
be  kept  up  to  their  former  standard. 

The  National  Museum  is  an  institution  of  great 
importance,  rich  in  its  various  specimens  of  Hindoo 
curiosities,  and  also  in  the  possession  of  an  extensive 
zoological  and  mineralogical  collection,  the  whole  con- 
tained in  a  noble  building  of  modern  construction. 
The  city  has  also  a  number  of  literary,  scientific,  and 
charitable  institutions,  libraries,  social  and  political 
clubs,  hospitals,  and  the  like.  The  Government 
House  is  a  fine  specimen  of  architecture,  and  is  built 
around  an  open  square  ornamented  like  a  garden,  but 
really  little  less  than  a  citadel  if  necessity  should  re- 
quire it  to  assume  that  form.  Owing  to  the  nature 
of  England's  possession  here.  Government  House  is 
under  semi  -  military  organization,  always  ready  to 
meet  a  popular  uprising,  and  containing  powerful 
means  of  defense.  The  zoological  garden  is  almost 
a  rival  to  that  of  London,  and  in  some  respects  is 
superior  to  it.  The  botanical  garden,  located  about 
three  miles  from  the  city  proper,  is  equally  remarka- 
ble for  its  size  and  comprehensive  character.  The 
good  taste  and  appreciation  which  has  gathered  here 
so  large  and  complete  a  public  garden  is  worthy  of 
all  praise. 

In  this  garden  there  is  an  enormous  banyan-tree, 
one  of  the  largest  in  the  world,  and  the  original  of 
the  picture  of  the  school-books.  The  leaves  are  very 
similar  to  those  of  the  poplar,  and  are  four  or  five 


A  BOTANICAL   GARDEN.  171 

inches  long.  Its  age  is  incalculable,  being  a  tree  of 
very  slow  growth,  and  continually  multiplying  it- 
self, so  that  it  may  be  said  to  live  forever.  There  is 
one  remarkable  avenue  of  Palmyra  palms  in  these 
grounds,  which  we  have  never  seen  excelled  in 
beauty  of  effect  even  in  the  plantation  avenues  of 
Cuba,  where  the  family  of  the  palm  form  the  pride 
of  the  coffee  planters.  Here  was  also  to  be  seen 
specimens  of  the  sacred  bo-tree  and  the  camphor-tree 
of  great  size;  one  large  conservatory  was  devoted 
solely  to  the  cultivation  of  ferns,  which  the  gardener 
said  contained  twenty  thousand  varieties,  from  the 
size  of  an  infant's  hand  to  tall  trees. 

The  various  shades  of  green  in  this  conservatory 
were  no  less  remarkable  than  the  wonderful  variety 
of  form,  all  being  arranged  in  the  most  effective  man- 
ner. The  tall  tree  ferns  seemed  ready  to  burst  through 
the  glass  roof,  and  were  ornamented  with  little  hang- 
ing baskets  on  their  branches,  containing  choice  and 
delicate  specimens,  while  at  their  base  was  a  rockery 
over  which  played  a  tiny  fountain,  causing  the  ex- 
quisitely pinnated  feathery  fronds  of  the  ferns  to 
tremble  incessantly.  In  another  part  was  a  little 
patch  of  mossy  meadow,  and  again  there  were  decay- 
ing logs  out  of  which  sprang  various  ferns  in  wild 
luxuriance,  as  one  has  seen  them  in  deeply-shaded, 
low-lying  woods.  The  maiden-hair  fern  was  here 
seen  ranging  from  leaves  as  large  as  one's  thumb-nail 
to  a  species  with  leaves  the  size  of  pin-heads.  There 
was  a  charming  harmony  in  the  whole  arrangement ; 
nothing  seemed  abrupt,  each  effect  blended  gracefully 
with  those  surrounding  it,  like  well-balanced  colors  in 
an  oil  painting. 

The  King  of  Oude's  palace,  on  the  opposite  side 


172  DUE   WEST, 

of  the  river,  will  well  pay  the  traveler  for  a  visit. 
The  old  king  has  a  reputation  of  being  a  little  out  of 
his  head,  or,  as  the  Scotch  say,  has  a  bee  in  his  bon- 
net ;  at  any  rate,  he  is  very  queer,  very  fat,  and  very 
independent,  with  his  allowance  of  half  a  million  dol- 
lars per  annum  from  the  English  government  who  de- 
throned him,  at  which  time  he  was  King  of  Oude,  one 
of  the  richest  provinces  of  India,  Lucknow  being  the 
capital.  He  is  said  to  be  still  a  rebel  at  heart,  and 
was  a  strong  supporter  of  the  mutiny.  He  is  really 
a  sort  of  state's  prisoner  in  his  own  palace  at  Garden 
Reach,  as  the  place  is  called,  where  he  has  a  whole 
menagerie  of  animals,  and  is  especially  fond  of  tigers, 
of  which  he  keeps  over  twenty  in  stout  cages.  He 
has  also  a  large  and  remarkable  collection  of  snakes, 
all  Indian,  and  "  millions  "  of  pigeons.  He  pays  fab- 
ulous prices  for  any  bird  or  animal  to  which  he  takes 
a  fancy,  and  is,  of  course,  duly  victimized  by  cunning 
dealers.  He  is  a  fanatic  in  religious  observances,  and 
confines  himself  within  the  palace  walls,  from  one 
year's  end  to  another,  with  his  tigers,  snakes,  pigeons, 
priests,  and  women.  He  permits  tourists  to  visit  his 
grounds,  but  will  himself  see  no  one.  It  would  not 
seem  that  he  owes  any  affection  to  the  English,  who, 
under  some  specious  pretense,  seized  his  private  prop- 
erty, including  his  valuable  jewels,  and  sold  them 
for  the  benefit  of  Queen  Victoria's  treasury.  As  was 
said  by  the  British  press  at  the  time,  the  English 
had  no  more  right  to  those  precious  stones  and  pri- 
vate property  than  they  had  to  the  crown  diamonds 
of  Russia. 

The  government  fortifications  here  will  interest 
travelers,  as  they  are  remarkable  for  completeness, 
and  presenting  the  advanced  ideas  in  the  line  which 


CREMATION  AT  CALCUTTA,  173 

they  represent.  But  we  were  most  entertained  and 
longest  occupied  in  Calcutta  by  the  native  bazars, 
which,  as  usual,  gave  one  a  special  insight  into  the 
character  of  the  people,  their  tastes  and  occupations. 
An  hour  was  passed  of  quite  an  impressive  character 
at  a  large  building  inclosing  a  high-walled  area  on 
the  banks  of  the  river,  known  as  the  Burning  Ghat, 
where  the  ceremony  of  cremating  the  dead  is  going 
on  at  all  hours  of  the  day  and  night.  Seven  corpses 
were  brought  in  and  placed  upon  the  pyres,  built 
up  of  unsawed  cord  wood  in  cob  style,  raised  to  the 
height  of  four  feet,  the  fire  being  applied  to  a  small 
handful  of  specially  combustible  material  at  the  bot- 
tom. The  whole  was  so  prepared  as  to  ignite  rap- 
idly, and  in  a  very  few  moments  after  the  torch  was 
applied  to  it,  the  pile  was  wreathed  in  the  devouring 
element.  The  atmosphere  was  impregnated  with  of- 
fensive odors,  and  one  was  fain  to  get  on  the  wind- 
ward side  of  the  smoking  mass.  The  Ghat  was  open 
to  the  sky,  so  that  the  ventilation  was  all  that  could 
be  obtained.  The  bodies  thus  treated  are  entirely 
consumed  in  about  three  hours,  during  which  the  wood 
requires  partial  renewal,  and  all  palpable  signs  having 
disappeared  the  ashes  are  solemnly  cast  into  the  sa- 
cred river  close  at  hand,  the  Hoogly  being  one  of  the 
outlets  of  the  Ganges.  When  first  brought  to  the 
Ghat,  a  very  simple  and  brief  ceremony  is  held  over 
each  body,  and  then  a  member  of  the  family  of 
mourners  which  attend  the  burning  applies  the  torch 
to  the  pyre.  The  custom  is  that  this  service  should 
be  performed  by  the  oldest  son  of  the  deceased,  if 
there  be  such  a  representative.  The  first  time  we 
^yitnessed  such  a  scene  was  at  the  Calcutta  Ghat,  but 
our  after  experience,  as  to  the  disposal  of  the  dead, 


174  DUE   WEST. 

was  still  more  strange,  as  we  shall  have  occasion  to 
record  in  these  notes.  Close  by  this  Burning  Ghat, 
along  the  river  front,  there  are  a  number  of  sheds, 
with  only  partial  shelter  from  the  street,  where  poor 
dying  Hindoos  are  brought  to  breathe  their  last,  be- 
lieving that  if  they  pass  away  close  to  the  sacred 
water,  their  spirits  will  be  instantly  wafted  to  regions 
of  bliss.  Here  they  are  attended  by  persons  who 
make  a  business  of  it ;  and  it  was  intimated  to  us 
that  they  often  hasten  the  demise  of  the  sufferers  by 
convenient  means.  Human  life  is  held  of  very  little 
account  among  these  people,  whose  blind  faith  bridges 
the  gulf  o£  death,  and  who  were  at  one  time  so  prone 
to  suicide,  by  drowning  in  the  Ganges,  as  to  require 
strict  police  surveillance  on  the  part  of  the  English  to 
prevent  it. 

At  the  close  of  each  day,  about  an  hour  before  sun- 
set, all  fashionable  Calcutta  turns  out  in  state  for  a 
drive  on  the  Maidan,  —  the  Hindoostani  name  for  es- 
planade, —  a  broad  and  finely  macadamized  roadway, 
extending  along  the  river's  bank,  by  the  fort,  the 
open  cricket  grounds,  the  parade,  and  the  gardens, 
arranged  as  a  circular  course  of  a  mile  or  more  in  ex- 
tent, which  would  be  perfection  had  it  only  a  proper 
complement  of  shade  trees.  It  is  really  a  most  de- 
lightful resort  after  the  trying  heat  of  the  day,  when 
the  cooling  influence  of  the  twilight  commences  ;  in 
short  it  is  the  Indian  Hyde  Park,  or  Bengal  Champs 
Elysees.  The  variety,  elegance,  and  costliness  of  the 
equipages  in  grand  livery  that  crowd  the  Maidan  dur- 
ing the  fashionable  hour  was  a  surprise,  the  whole 
scene  enlivened  by  the  brilliant  dresses  of  the  ladies, 
the  dashing  costumes,  and  gold  lace  of  the  nabobs, 
the  quaint  Oriental  dress  of  their  barefooted  attend- 


THE  MAIDAN   OF  CALCUTTA.  175 

ants,  and  the  spirited  music  of  the  military  band. 
The  variety  of  nationality  present  was  infinite  ;  the 
participants  in  varied  dress  were  Parsees,  Hindoos, 
Mussulmans,  English,  Egyptians,  with  a  sprinkling 
of  French  and  Italians.  The  twilight  hour  is  brief ; 
the  crowd  dashed  round  the  long  course  in  the  live- 
liest manner,  until  the  amber  shades  deepened,  and 
then  a  hundred  electric  lights  of  great  power,  shielded 
by  ground-glass  globes,  flashed  upon  the  scene,  rival- 
ing in  effect  the  broadest  daylight.  Then  the  occu- 
pants of  the  open  vehicles  and  the  equestrians  gath- 
ered about  the  Eden  Gardens,  where  the  music-stand 
is  placed,  and  in  ranks  eight  or  ten  lines  deep,  listened 
to  the  popular  airs  so  finely  rendered,  or  chatted  gayly 
with  each  other  during  the  intervals  of  the  music. 
These  Eden  Gardens,  always  open  to  the  public,  with 
their  tropical  vegetation,  picturesque  temples,  sum- 
mer-houses, and  refreshing  ornamental  waters,  are  a 
delightful  resort  in  the  after-part  of  the  day,  when 
their  inviting  shade  can  be  best  appreciated.  The 
Cascine  at  Florence,  the  Pincio  at  Rome,  the  Chiaja 
of  Naples,  the  Prado  of  Madrid,  none  of  these  can 
compare  in  point  of  gayety,  variety,  and  attractive- 
ness with  the  Maidan  of  this  Indian  capital. 

It  would  seem  that  Calcutta  ought  to  be  a  healthy 
city,  but,  as  it  regards  English  residents,  it  cannot  be 
said  to  be  so.  A  peculiarity  in  this  connection  was 
explained  to  us  by  an  officer  of  the  civil  service,  long 
resident  in  the  East.  Both  himself  and  wife  were 
our  companions  on  board  the  Kashgar,  on  the  voy- 
age from  Bombay  to  Suez,  the  gentleman  being  on 
leave  of  absence  for  a  brief  month's  stay  in  England, 
where  mother  and  father  were  going  to  meet  their 
three  children.    It  seems  that  pure  blooded  European 


176  DUE    WEST, 

children,  even  if  born  in  India,  are  unable  to  strug- 
gle successfully  against  tlie  enervating  effects  of  its 
climate,  and  this  applies  not  alone  to  Calcutta,  but 
to  all  parts  of  the  country.  Until  their  sixth  year, 
children  apparently  retain  their  health  and  the  ruddy 
color  of  the  race,  but,  soon  after  that  age,  they  grow 
pale  and  wan,  the  listlessness  of  a  premature  decay 
setting  in,  or  some  mysterious  blight  steals  over  them. 
Thus,  without  the  symptoms  of  any  fixed  disease, 
they  droop  and  pine,  like  exotic  plants.  Nothing  but 
a  return  to  England,  the  home  of  their  race,  will  re- 
store them.  The  utmost  care  is  of  no  avail.  Even 
removing  them  to  higher  table-lands  in  the  hill  coun- 
try has  no  saving  effect.  An  English  gentleman  and 
his  wife,  who  had  long  resided  at  Lahore,  told  us  the 
same ;  they  being  also  separated  from  their  children, 
who  had  been  born  in  India,  but  necessarily  sent 
home  to  England  to  restore  their  fading  health.  This 
singular  peculiarity  is  so  well  known,  that  its  fatal 
results  are  now  promptly  guarded  against  by  the  one 
and  only  resort,  —  of  parents  and  children  submitting 
to  separation. 

The  city  is  said  to  contain  a  million  of  inhabitants, 
but  this  seemed  an  excessive  computation.  The  frail 
character  of  the  native  houses,  in  the  section  of  Cal- 
cutta occupied  by  Indians,  may  be  judged  of  by  the 
fact  that  the  cyclone,  which  visited  the  place  the  year 
after  that  of  the  famine  at  Orissa,  destroyed  over 
thirty  thousand  of  their  houses  ;  and,  three  years 
later,  in  1870,  another  cyclone  was  equally  destruc- 
tive among  these  dwellings.  The  Hoogly  River  is 
visited,  during  the  monsoons,  about  the  last  of  April, 
by  a  tidal  wave,  which  dashes  up  from  the  sea  at  a 
speed  of  twenty  miles  an  hour,  causing  much  destruc- 


A  MOUNTAIN  BAILROAD.  177 

tion.  Ships  lying  off  the  city  often  part  their  cables, 
and  are  driven  on  shore;  while  many  small  craft, 
along  the  eighty  miles  of  river  course,  are  not  unfre- 
quently  destroyed  altogether. 

Taking  the  cars  of  the  Eastern  Bengal  Railway, 
we  started  for  Darjeeling,  in  the  extreme  north  of 
India,  a  distance  of  about  four  hundred  miles  from 
Calcutta.  At  Damookdea  the  Ganges  was  crossed, 
and  the  journey  resumed  by  the  North  Bengal  State 
Railway.  At  Siliguri  the  Narrow  Gauge  Himalayan 
Railway  was  taken,  by  which  to  ascend  the  moun- 
tains, and  a  wonderful  piece  of  engineering  it  was 
found  to  be,  doubling  upon  itself  frequently  in  a  dis- 
tance of  two  hundred  feet  ;  in  one  place  the  train 
passing  over  a  bridge  which  it  had  passed  under  a 
few  minutes  before.  The  railroad  running  up  Mount 
Washington,  in  New  Hampshire,  though  more  pre- 
cipitous, is  less  remarkable.  The  wild,  extensive 
scenery  on  the  route  was  a  constant  reminder  of  the 
Sierra  Nevada  mountains,  through  which  we  had 
passed  by  moonlight,  in  far-off  America.  As  we 
progressed  upwards,  flocks  of  Tibet  goats  began  to 
appear,  and  a  hardier  race  of  men  and  women  than 
those  we  had  left  below  on  the  plains  of  Hindostan. 
The  road  was  being  much  improved,  and  laborers 
were  busy  all  day  along  the  route,  consisting  of  men 
and  women  and  young  girls,  all  performing  the  same 
style  of  labor,  with  shovel  and  pick,  each  carrying 
a  small  basket  of  earth  and  stone  on  his  or  her  back. 

Among  these  laborers  three  distinct  nationalities 
were  observable,  marked  by  dress,  physiognomy,  and 
figure.  They  were  people  from  Tibet,  Nepal,  and 
Cashmere,  which  border  on  this  part  of  northern 
India,  and  are  separated  from  it  by  the  Himalayan 
12 


178  DUE    WEST. 

Range.  These  mingled  races  formed  picturesque 
groups,  the  men  armed  with  long,  sword-like  knives 
and  other  weapons,  after  the  fashion  of  their  native 
lands.  Some  of  the  young  women  were  quite  pretty, 
though  a  little  masculine  and  sturdy  in  figure,  appear- 
ing very  much  like  their  sisters  of  Alpine  Switzer- 
land. At  tlie  noon  hour,  they  gathered  in  groups 
near  the  doors  of  their  shanties  on  the  abrupt  hill- 
sides ;  where,  throwing  themselves  on  the  ground,  they 
partook  of  their  coarse,  midday  meal,  quite  in  gypsy 
style,  about  a  smoking  iron  pot,  suspended  over  a  fire 
by  a  tripod.  They  watched  us  curiously,  for  the 
passing  cars  formed  the  one  daily  event,  connecting 
them  with  the  far-away  populous  cities  of  the  plains, 
places  of  which  they  only  knew  by  report.  Our 
train  consisted  of  two  cars  only,  a  first  and  a  second 
class ;  but  the  engine,  built  especially  for  this  service, 
puffed  and  snorted  like  mad,  with  the  wildest  vigor, 
in  its  struggle  to  surmount  the  steep  grade,  seeming 
to  be  vastly  refreshed  by  a  few  moments'  rest  at  the 
frequent  watering-places.  These  consisted  of  a  wooden 
trough  running  out  of  the  hill-side,  and  supplied  by 
one  of  the  thousand  tiny  brooks  that  burst  out  every- 
where. At  these  the  thirsty  little  engine  drank  co- 
piously, and  often ;  until  finally,  after  many  hours,  we 
rounded  a  high  projecting  cliff,  and  in  a  moment  after 
reached  the  little  station  of  Darjeeling,  which  signi- 
fies ''  Up  in  the  Clouds." 

We  arrived  early  in  the  afternoon,  and  fortunately 
on  a  clear  day,  so  we  anticipated  having  the  rare 
pleasure  of  witnessing  the  sunset  upon  the  loftiest 
range  of  snow-clad  mountains  on  the  globe.  As  we 
rounded  the  bluff  alread}^  spoken  of,  there  burst  upon 
our  sight,  for  a  few  moments,  a  complete  view  of  the 


KTNCHTNJUNGA.  179 

range,  lying  under  a  clear  sky  and  warm  glow  of  sun- 
light, so  entrancing  as  almost  to  take  away  one's 
breath.  The  imagination  had  never  before  depicted 
anything  so  grand  and  inspiring.  Our  little  party 
could  only  point  at  it,  and  look  into  each  other's  eyes. 
Words  would  have  jarred  like  a  discord  upon  the  ear. 
What  the  Bernese  Oberland  range  is  to  the  Alps, 
this  Kinchinjunga  group  is  to  the  sky-reaching  Him- 
alayas. The  former,  however,  are  but  pygmies  com- 
pared with  these  giants  at  Darjeeling.  One  gazes  in 
amazement  at  the  peaks,  and  almost  doubts  that  they 
belong  to  the  earth  upon  which  he  stands.  Visitors 
from  a  distance  are  often  compelled  to  depart  in  dis- 
appointment after  waiting  for  days  to  obtain  a  fair 
view  of  the  range.  We  had  reason  for  gratitude  in 
having  reached  this  elevated  spot  at  so  propitious  a 
season. 

We  ascended  the  nearest  hill  soon  after  arriving  at 
the  hotel,  and,  looking  across  the  intervening  valley, 
could  count  twelve  peaks,  the  lowest  of  which  was 
over  twenty  thousand  feet  in  height,  and  the  highest 
over  twenty-eight  thousand,  upon  which  rested  eleven 
thousand  feet  of  perpetual  snow,  —  the  snow  line  be- 
ing distinctly  marked  from  east  to  west,  as  far  as  the 
eye  could  reach.  There  can  be  no  animal  life  in  that 
Arctic  region,  no  pulsations  of  vitality.  Only  the 
snow  and  ice  rest  there  in  endless  sleep,  cold,  pitiless, 
and  solemn.  The  sun  was  slowly  declining  in  the 
west,  faintly  burnishing  a  few  silver}^  transparent 
clouds,  while  it  touched  the  pearl-white  tops  of  the 
Himalayas  with  ruby  tints,  and  cast  a  glow  of  min- 
gled gold  and  purple  down  the  sides  most  exposed  to 
its  rays.  Every  hue  of  the  rainbow  seemed  to  hang 
over  the  range,  through  which  gleamed  the  snowy 


160  DUE   WEST, 

robe  in  whicTi  the  peaks  and  sides  were  clad.  The 
top  of  Kinchin junga,  the  loftiest  of  them  all,  tower- 
ing three  thousand  feet  above  its  fellows,  as  it  ra- 
diated the  glory  of  the  sunset,  made  one  hesitate 
whether  it  was  indeed  a  mountain  top  or  a  fleecy 
cloud  far  up  in  the  sky.  As  we  watched  with  quick- 
ened pulse,  the  sunset  glow,  like  a  lingering  kiss,  hung 
over  the  grand,  white-turbaned  peaks  for  a  moment, 
as  though  unwilling  to  say  good  night,  and  then  it  sud- 
denly vanished.  The  cool,  dewy  shadows  gathered 
on  the  brow  of  Kinchinjunga  like  parting  tears,  and 
night  closed  swiftly  over  the  deep  intervening  valley, 
shutting  out  the  loveliness  of  the  vision,  but  leaving 
its  impress  glowingly  fixed  upon  the  memory  forever. 
The  Himalayas — meaning  in  Sanskrit  the  Halls 
of  Snow  —  form  the  northern  boundary  of  India,  and 
shut  out  the  country  from  the  rest  of  Asia.  Tibet, 
which  lies  just  over  the  range  from  whence  we 
viewed  it  and  the  wild  region  between,  is  virtually 
impassable  for  travel ;  and  yet  bold  parties  of  traders 
from  time  to  time,  wrapped  in  sheep-skins,  force  their 
way  over  the  passes  at  an  elevation  of  eighteen  thou- 
sand feet.  It  is  a  hazardous  thing  to  do,  and  the 
bones  of  worn-out  mules  mark  the  frozen  way,  telling 
of  suffering  and  abandonment.  The  little  Yak  cow, 
whose  bushy  tail  is  manufactured  into  lace,  has  been 
found  to  be  the  best  and  most  enduring  animal  to 
depend  upon  when  such  journeys  are  made.  She  will 
patiently  toil  up  the  steep  gorges  with  a  heavy  load 
on  her  back,  and  will  drop  in  her  very  tracks  before 
she  shows  any  stubbornness  or  want  of  courage. 
Sheep  are  also  used  at  times  to  carry  bags  of  borax 
to  market  near  the  plains,  where  they  are  shorn  of 
their  fleece,  and  return  to  the  mountains  laden  with 


MOUNT  EVEREST.  181 

salt.  The  culminating  point  of  the  range,  and  the 
highest  peak  in  the  world,  is  Mount  Everest,  a  little 
more  than  twenty-nine  thousand  feet  above  the  level 
of  the  sea  ;  but  it  is  rarely  visible  from  Darjeeling. 
In  an  unsuccessful  attempt  to  ascend  Kinchin junga 
not  long  since,  an  English  physician  very  nearly  lost 
his  life,  and  was  obliged  to  submit  to  the  partial  am- 
putation of  his  feet.  He  still  resides  in  the  neigh- 
borhood in  government  employment. 

The  sunset  view,  already  spoken  of,  had  fully  re- 
paid us  for  the  four  hundred  miles  journey  due  north. 
On  the  following  morning  we  rose  betimes  to  see  the 
meeting  between  the  god  of  day  and  those  white- 
robed  sentinels  of  time.  We  hardly  dared  to  hope 
for  a  clear  atmosphere.  Only  the  stars,  perhaps  a 
little  weary  with  night-watching,  were  visible  now. 
A  fine  sunrise  to  follow  so  beautiful  a  sunset  would 
be  almost  too  good  fortune.  The  air  was  sharp  and 
frosty,  but  we  cared  naught  for  the  cold,  now  at 
freezing-point,  as  we  were  between  seven  and  eight 
thousand  feet  above  the  level  of  the  plains.  Our 
anticipations  were  sufficiently  exhilarating  to  keep  us 
warm.  First  came  a  delicate  gray  tinge  in  the  leaden 
sky  as  the  morning  seemed  to  partially  awake  from 
its  slumber,  and  gradually  a  fitful  light  beamed  out 
of  the  east,  as  the  stars  grew  paler  and  paler.  Ob- 
jects about  us  became  more  distinct,  until  presently 
the  white  peaks  came  into  view  one  after  another. 
Then  the  veil  of  night  was  slowly  removed,  as  Aurora 
extinguished  the  last  of  those  flickering  lamps,  and 
the  soft  amber  light  touched  the  brow  of  each  peak, 
causing  it  to  blush  like  a  beautiful  maiden  aroused 
from  sleep,  at  sight  of  one  beloved.  After  the  first 
salutation  the  rays  became  bolder,  more  ardent,  and 


182  DUE   WEST, 

poured  their  depth  of  saffron  hues  all  over  the  range, 
which  now  blushed  and  glowed  like  mountains  of 
opals,  flashing  and  burning  in  the  glad,  glorious  sun- 
light. Dazzling  to  look  upon,  it  grew  yet  stronger 
every  moment,  until  the  mountains  and  valleys  were 
Hooded  in  an  atmosphere  of  azure  and  gold,  and  every 
outline  was  filled  in  by  the  clear,  fresh  light  of  the 
dawn,  completing  for  us  an  experience  never  to  be 
forgotten,  the  loveliness  of  which  neither  tongue  nor 
pen  can  adequately  express. 

It  was  not  without  an  effort  that  one  could  descend 
from  such  elevating  and  inspiring  delights  to  more 
material  things,  but  over  the  coffee  local  matters  of 
interest  were  discussed  with  our  host.  It  appears 
that  Darjeeling  is  becoming  the  centre  of  a  great  tea- 
producing  district,  and  that  India  bids  fair  to  rival 
China  in  a  product  which  has  seemed,  from  time  im- 
memorial, to  belong  to  the  latter  country  exclusively. 
English  capitalists  are  buying  up  the  land  wholesale ; 
and  their  agents,  employing  skilled  Jabor,  have  al- 
ready extensive  tea  plantations  in  full  process  of 
profitable  yielding,  and  sending  tea  annually  to  mar- 
ket. At  first  it  seemed  strange  to  us  to  see  the  tea- 
plant  flourishing  at  such  altitudes,  covering  large 
reaches  of  the  mountain  sides;  but  the  fact  came  to 
mind  that  the  latitude  of  Darjeeling  is  about  that  of 
Florida  and  the  West  Indies,  which  solved  the  appar- 
ent incongruity.  As  to  the  product  of  these  tea-fields, 
one  could  realize  no  difference  in  its  flavor  from  that 
of  the  Chinese  leaf.  We  were  told  that  it  brought  a 
higher  price  in  the  European  markets,  being  known 
as  Assam  tea.  Cinchona  was  also  being  raised  in 
the  district  to  a  considerable  extent,  and  it  was  be- 
lieved was  specially  adapted  to  the  locality. 


BUDDHIST  PRAYERS.  183 

We  ascended  a  high  hiU  overlooking  the  valley 
and  town  of  Darjeeling,  and  found  upon  its  crest  a 
sacred  stone,  where  Buddhists  had  lately  sacrificed 
some  object  which  left  the  stains  of  blood,  and  where 
incense  had  recently  been  burned.  It  was  in  a  prim- 
itive temple  constructed  of  stones  and  stunted  trees, 
surrounded  by  growing  bushes.  The  neighboring 
branches  of  the  trees  were  decked  here  and  there 
with  bits  of  red  and  blue  cloth,  which  the  guide  ex- 
plained as  being  Buddhist  prayers.  On  some  bits  of 
paper  adhering  to  the  stones  there  were  written  char- 
acters which  we  could  not  understand,  but  which 
doubtless  were  invocations  addressed  to  a  superior 
power.  From  this  elevation  we  enjoyed  extensive 
and  still  different  views  of  the  Himalayas,  and  their 
diadems  of  frosted  silver  flaked  with  gold,  while  close 
at  hand  were  seen  the  hundreds  of  thrifty  tea  planta- 
tions decking  the  sloping  hill-sides.  There  are  no 
roads  at  these  extreme  heights ;  it  is  all  climbing  to 
reach  them,  and  the  path  so  narrow  that  visitors  ad- 
vance only  in  single  file. 

Darjeeling  is  what  is  called  in  India  a  sanitarium; 
that  is,  a  resort  for  Europeans  from  the  plains  during 
that  portion  of  the  year  when  it  is  too  hot  to  reside 
in  the  cities.  There  is  a  fixed  population  of  over 
three  thousand.  The  viceroy's  summer  quarters  are 
elegant  and  spacious,  and  there  are  churches,  schools, 
and  a  club -room,  with  hospitals  and  barracks  for 
army  invalids.  We  saw  groups  of  natives  from  the 
neighboring  countries,  lingering  about  the  depot, 
quite  willing  to  trade,  and  offering  us  their  pray- 
ing machines  for  filthy  lucre.  Some  of  these  ma- 
chines were  of  finely  wrought  silver  and  were  expen- 
sive.    In  the  centre  of  the  town  there  is  an  open 


184  DUE    WEST. 

space  devoted  daily  to  an  out-door  bazar,  -where  the 
itinerant  traders  spread  a  mat  upon  the  ground  and 
cover  it  with  the  articles  which  they  wish  to  dispose 
of,  seating  themselves  cross-legged  on  the  ground  by 
the  side  of  their  wares.  Here  we  saw  displayed  cop- 
per coins  from  the  neighboring  countries,  sweetmeats, 
fruit,  beans,  rice,  betel-nuts,  candles,  baskets,  and  toys, 
besides  heaps  of  various  grains.  Near  the  hotel  there 
was  an  insignificant  temple,  at  the  entrance  of  which 
a  hideous  old  woman  was  turning  a  big  cylinder  with 
a  crank  ;  a  church  praying  machine.  She  seemed  to 
have  taken  a  contract  to  pray  for  the  whole  district, 
she  worked  so  vigorously. 

Some  of  the  people  in  and  about  the  neighborhood 
are  of  singular  interest.  One  tribe  was  pointed  out  as 
belonging  to  the  Sikkim  race,  known  as  Lepchas,  who 
believe  in  spirits  good  and  bad,  but  celebrate  no  re- 
ligious rites.  There  were  specimens  of  the  Limboos, 
who  are  Buddhists,  and  whose  out-door  temple  on  the 
hill-top  we  had  chanced  upon.  Again  there  were  peo- 
ple known  as  Moor  mis,  of  large  stature  and  originally 
from  Tibet.  The  Nepal  and  Cashmere  people  were 
small  in  size,  compared  to  Europeans,  but  of  hardy 
frames  and  stout  limbs.  These  latter  are  very  indus- 
trious and  thrifty.  There  was  some  building  of  stone 
houses  going  on  at  Darjeeling,  and  some  road  making 
in  the  town  ;  and  it  was  observed  that  all  carrying  of 
stone,  mortar,  or  other  material,  was  performed  by 
Cashmere  or  Nepal  girls  and  women,  who  carry  bas- 
kets of  stone  on  their  backs  heavy  enough  to  stagger 
an  average  American  laborer.  But  these  women, 
under  such  harsh  usage,  must  become  prematurely 
old. 

After  considerable  hill  climbing  and  exploration  oi 


THE  FLORA    OF  THE  MOUNTAINS.        185 

the  vicinity  we  started  on  our  return  to  Calcutta,  and 
having  become  acquainted  with  the  grandeur  of  the 
scenery  as  a  whole,  were  better  prepared  for  closer 
observation  in  detail.  It  was  all  the  way  down  hill 
now,  and  our  spirited  little  engine,  like  a  horse  under 
similar  circumstances,  had  more  use  for  the  breeching 
than  the  traces.  However,  the  speed  was  a  very 
lively  one,  and  to  the  uninitiated  appeared  almost 
reckless.  The  pure  white  magnolia  was  found  to  be 
abundant  on  the  mountain,  blooming  profusely  at 
over  seven  thousand  feet  above  the  plains.  Amid 
many  other  flowering  trees,  unknown  to  us,  the  mag- 
nolia was  most  prominent.  The  wild  and  abundant 
growth  of  the  rhododendrons,  which  here  become  a 
forest  tree,  mingled  with  a  handsome  species  of  cedar, 
which  rose  in  dark  and  stately  groups,  was  a  marked 
feature  of  the  woods.  The  general  luxuriance  of 
the  vegetation  was  conspicuous,  thickly  clothing  the 
branches  of  the  trees  with  mosses,  ferns,  and  flowering 
creepers  or  orchids.  Here  we  saw  for  the  first  time 
the  cotton-tree,  with  red  blossom,  and  which  yields 
a  coarse  material  for  native  use.  A  species  of  lotus 
was  seen,  called  here  "  The  Queen  of  the  Forest."  It 
belongs  to  the  magnolia  family,  and  the  leaves  are 
used  by  the  common  people  in  place  of  tea.  Many 
bright  and  exquisitely  delicate  ferns  sprang  up  among 
the  undergrowth  and  about  the  watering  stations. 
Brilliant  little  butterflies  floated  in  the  sunshine 
everywhere,  and  contrasted  with  the  repulsive  whip- 
snakes  hanging  here  and  there  from  the  branches  of 
the  trees.  Vegetable  and  animal  life  seemed  singu- 
larly abundant  in  these  hills,  so  far  above  the  plains 
of  Hindostan  towards  which  we  were  hastening. 
The  language  of  the  masses  is  rather  mixed,  being 


186  DUE   WEST. 

composed  of  Bengali,  Hindi,  and  Nepalese,  though 
English  is  almost  universally  understood,  even  by 
the  humbler  classes.  We  found  a  very  comfortable 
hotel  at  Darjeeling,  but  discovered  that  the  Hindoo 
milkman  knows  the  trick  of  judiciously  watering  his 
merchandise.  The  fruits  upon  the  table  were  ba- 
nanas, pine-apples,  guavas,  and  oranges.  Wild  ani- 
mals are  abundant  in  the  hills,  including  the  much- 
dreaded  tiger,  which  does  not  confine  his  operations  to 
the  plains.  At  one  of  the  stations  on  the  mountain 
railroad,  where  we  stopped  for  refreshments,  a  story 
of  the  most  tragic  character  was  told  us  of  two  chil- 
dren carried  off  and  eaten  by  tigers  the  previous 
night.  The  demoralized  condition  of  one  of  the  poor 
families  bore  witness  to  the  truth  of  the  report.  We 
listened  to  the  very  harrowing  detail  of  the  event, 
but  will  not  weary  the  reader  with  it.  The  half- 
howl,  half -bark  of  the  jackals  at  night  frequently 
awoke  us.  They  carry  off  young  kids  in  these  re- 
gions, and  do  not  hesitate  to  attack  small  dogs,  but 
keep  a  wholesome  distance  from  human  beings. 

One  day  and  night  upon  the  route  —  there  are  no 
sleeping-cars,  so  we  did  without  them  —  brought  us 
back  to  Calcutta,  extremely  gratified  with  our  ex- 
cursion to  the  Himalayas,  and  more  than  ever  im- 
pressed with  the  distinctive  character  of  each  new 
locality.  There  are  no  two  rivers  alike,  no  two 
mountain  ranges  precisely  similar,  no  two  races  of 
people  that  quite  resemble  each  other.  There  is  al- 
ways some  marked  distinction  to  fix  the  new  ex- 
perience on  the  mind.  Were  this  not  the  case,  con- 
fusion would  be  the  natural  result  of  ten  months  of 
such  varied  travel  as  these  notes  are  designed  to 
record. 


CHAPTER  VII. 

From  Calcutta  to  Benares.  —  Miles  of  Poppy  Fields.  —  Ruined  Tem- 
ples.—  The  Mecca  of  Hindostan.  —  Banks  of  the  Sacred  Ganges. 
—  Idolatry  at  its  Height.  — Monkey  Temple.  —  The  Famous  River 
Front  of  the  Holy  City.  —  Fanaticism.  —  Cremating  the  Dead.  — 
A  Pestilential  City.  —  Visit  to  a  Native  Palace.  —  From  Benares 
to  Cawnpore.  —  A  Beautiful  Statue.  —  English  Rule  in  India.  — 
Delhi.  —  The  Mogul  Dynasty.  —  Lahore.  —  Umritsar.  —  Agra.  — 
The  Taj  Mahal.  —  Royal  Palace  and  Fort.  —  The  Famous  Pearl 
Mosque. 

Calcutta  is  not  a  city  calculated  to  detain  the 
traveler  more  than  four  days,  so  we  promptly  got 
our  baggage  together  to  start  for  the  next  objective 
point,  which  was  Benares,  the  holy  city  of  the  Hin- 
doos, to  reach  which  five  hundred  miles  of  central 
India  must  be  traversed  by  rail.  The  route,  how- 
ever, lay  through  an  extremely  interesting  region  of 
country,  where,  notwithstanding  *  it  was  still  Janu- 
ary, everything  was  green,  and  both  planting  and 
harvesting  were  in  progress.  The  people  appeared  to 
be  wretchedly  poor,  living  in  the  most  primitive  mud 
cabins  thatched  with  straw.  Such  squalor  and  pov- 
erty could  be  found  nowhere  else  outside  of  Ireland, 
and  yet  we  were  passing  through  a  famous  agricul- 
tural district,  which  ought  to  support  thrifty  farm- 
houses and  smiling  villages.  It  abounded  in  rice, 
wheat,  sugar  -  cane,  and  vast  poppy  fields,  —  treach- 
erously beautiful,  —  from  which  the  opium  of  com- 
merce is  derived.  The  presence  of  such  abundance 
made  the  contrast  in  the  condition  of  the  peasantry 
all  the  more  puzzling. 


188  DUE    WEST, 

This  part  of  India  has  ever  been  noted  for  the  ex- 
cellence and  prolific  yield  of  its  sugar  crops.  From 
here,  also,  indigo  and  saltpetre  are  exported  in  large 
quantities.  No  tea-gardens  were  seen,  —  these  were 
left  behind  in  the  hills,  —  nor  had  we  met  with  coffee 
plantations  since  leaving  Ceylon.  All  along  the  route 
we  saw  fruit  trees  in  considerable  variety,  of  such  as 
are  indigenous  to  central  India ;  among  these  were 
recognized  the  lofty  and  handsome  tamarinds,  al- 
monds, mangoes,  oranges,  and  limes,  interspersed 
with  which  was  the  graceful  palm,  laden  with  cocoa- 
nuts,  and  other  products  of  the  palm  family.  Tem- 
ples centuries  in  age  and  in  utter  ruin  came  into 
view  now  and  again,  as  they  had  done  in  the  south, 
between  Tuticorin  and  Madras,  and  here,  as  there, 
they  were  frequently  adjacent  to  a  cluster  of  low  mud 
hovels.  From  the  branches  of  the  trees  flitted  birds 
of  such  fantastic  shapes  and  plumage  as  to  cause  ex- 
clamations of  surprise.  Occasional  specimens  of  the 
bird  of  paradise  were  seen,  with  its  long  and  grace- 
ful tail-feathers  glistening  in  the  sun,  presenting  an 
array  of  bright  colors  never  seen  in  confinement. 
The  tall  flamingos,  in  their  bridal  plumage,  just 
touched  with  scarlet  on  either  wing,  like  soldiers' 
epaulets,  floated  along  the  shores  of  the  numerous 
ponds,  scarcely  clearing  the  ground,  or  they  stood 
lazily  by  the  bank  upon  one  awkward  leg.  Parrots 
glanced  across  the  vision  in  the  bright  noontide,  in 
carnival  costume  ;  and  buff-colored  doves,  with  white 
rings  about  their  necks,  coquetted  lovingly  in  cou- 
ples. Of  song  birds  there  were  but  few,  though  the 
clear  notes  of  the  little  Indian  thrush  now  and  then 
fell  pleasantly  on  the  ear. 

As  we  progressed  on  our  way,  we  picked  up  here 


OPPOSITION  TO  RAILROADS.  189 

and  there,  at  various  stations,  third  class  passengers 
in   considerable   numbers,    consisting   oftentimes   of 
whole  families,  in  singular  variety  of  dress,  "  undress," 
and   rags,  bound  for  Benares.     They  were  packed 
in  the  rude  cars  devoted  to  that  class,    like  cattle, 
and   there  they  slept  and  ate  upon  the  rough  pine 
boarding.     The   roads  of   India   carry  these  devout 
people  at  a  most   trifling   charge,  aggregating   but 
about  a  half  penny  per  mile.     And  yet  we  were  told 
that  it  paid  the  companies  very  well,  besides  making 
good  friends  of  the  natives,  who  were  originally  op- 
posed to  the  laying  of  railroad  tracks  ;  indeed,  so  bit- 
ter and  superstitious  were  they,  that  for  a  long  time 
it  was  necessary  to  guard  the   track  by  a  military 
force,  especially   in    these  very  districts   of  central 
India.     It  was  amusing  to  watch  the  expression  upon 
the  countenances  of  some  of  these  pilgrims,  who  stood 
on  the  platform  of  the  depot,  watching  the   hissing 
steam  as  it  came  from  the  engine.     In  their  intense 
ignorance  and  superstition  they  believe  that  it  con- 
tains a  "  fire-devil,"  and  that  it  is  bribed  to  do  the 
required  work  of  transportation  by  frequent  drinks 
of  water  at  the  various  stations  !     It  was  difficult  for 
the   more    intelligent   to    suppress   their   prejudices 
against  the  introduction  of  the  railroad  into   India 
when  it  was  first  begun  ;  but  the  ignorant,  supersti- 
tious masses  are  still  believers   in  the  supernatural 
character  of  the  iron  horse.     No  amount  of  explana- 
tion can  disabuse  their  minds  of  the  impression  ;  they 
only  shake  their  heads  ;  but  getting  into  the  third 
class  compartments  avail  themselves  of  the  facilities 
all  the  same,  even  when  bent,  as  they  all  are  who 
travel,  upon  some  devout  pilgrimage. 

Benares,  the  first  large  city  on  the  united  Ganges 


190  DUE    WEST. 

and  Jumna,  may  be  called  the  citadel  of  Hindooism, 
containing  about  one  hundred  and  fifty  thousand 
fixed  inhabitants,  and  nearly  as  many  more  of  floating 
population,  composed  of  pilgrims,  constantly  coming 
and  going.  What  Jerusalem  is  to  the  Jew,  Rome 
to  the  Latin,  Mecca  to  the  Mohammedan,  Benares  is 
to  the  Hindoo.  It  is  supposed  by  many  to  be  the  old- 
est known  habitation  of  man  in  the  world.  Twenty- 
five  centuries  ago  when  Rome  was  unknown  and 
Athens  was  in  its  youth,  Benares  was  already  famous. 
It  is  supported  by^the  influx  of  rich  and  poor  pil- 
grims from  all  parts  of  the  country,  whose  presence 
gives  its  local  trade  an  impetus,  at  certain  seasons 
of  great  amount,  and  more  or  less  at  all  times.  The 
city  is  situated  on  the  left  bank  of  the  sacred  Ganges, 
to  bathe  in  which  insures  to  the  devout  Hindoo  for- 
giveness of  all  sins,  and  an  eas}^  passport  to  the  regions 
of  the  blessed.  In  entering  the  ancient  capital  we 
crossed  the  Ganges  on  a  bridge  of  boats  very  similar 
to  that  at  Cologne  on  the  Rhine.  As  we  drove 
through  the  streets  troops  of  pilgrims,  pitiable  to  be- 
hold, foot-sore  and  weary,  were  met  coming  from  the 
Punjab  a  thousand  miles  away,  simply  to  bow  down 
before  the  local  idols  and  to  dip  their  bodies  in  the 
holy  river.  Faith  must  be  very  vigorous  in  these 
uneducated  creatures  to  induce  such  sacrifice  to  ful- 
fill its  requirements  ;  like  superstition  elsewhere,  it  is 
ever  strongest  in  the  ignorant. 

These  pilgrims  are  not  all  beggars  or  in  rags.  Now 
and  then  a  gaudily  dressed  rajah  may  be  seen,  with 
a  long  line  of  attendants,  wending  his  steps  towards 
the  river's  front.  Infirm  old  men  and  little  children, 
crazy  looking  fakirs  and  comely  youths,  boj^s  and 
girls,  people  of  all  ages  and  both  sexes,  were  repre- 


MONKEY   WORSHIPERS.  191 

sented  in  the  motley  groups  who  went  for  moral  pu- 
rification to  these  muddy  waters.  There  is  a  singu- 
lar mingling  of  races  also,  for  these  people  do  not  by 
any  means  speak  one  tongue.  They  are  from  the  ex- 
treme north  and  the  extreme  south  of  India,  while  the 
half -starved  vagrants  of  central  India  could  not  make 
themselves  understood  by  either.  A  common  purpose 
moves  them,  but  they  cannot  express  themselves  in  a 
common  language.  Pilgrims  are  here  from  Tibet  and 
Cashmere,  the  far-off  Himalayan  country  as  well  as 
from  Tuticorin  on  the  Indian  Ocean.  Numberless 
idols  and  symbols  of  the  most  vulgar  and  loathsome 
character  abound  all  over  the  town,  and  along  the 
river's  front,  before  which  men  and  women  bow  down 
in  silent  devotion.  Idolatry  is  but  the  synonym  of 
impurity,  and  is  here  seen  in  its  most  repulsive  form. 
The  delusion,  however,  is  perfect,  and  these  poor 
creatures  are,  beyond  a  doubt,  terribly  in  earnest. 

The  people  grovel  in  this  idolatrous  spirit,  animals 
forming  the  principal  subjects  of  worship,  —  such  as 
bulls,  snakes,  monkeys,  and  pigeons.  One  of  the  pe- 
culiar temples  of  the  city  is  devoted  solely  to  the  wor- 
ship of  monkeys,  where  hundreds  of  these  mischievous 
animals  find  a  luxurious  home,  no  one  ever  interfer- 
ing with  their  whims,  except  to  feed  and  to  pet  them. 
This  temple  contains  a  singular  altar,  before  which 
devotional  rites  are  performed  by  believing  visitors, 
who  also  bring  food  offerings  for  the  monkeys.  One 
of  the  animals  during  our  visit  was  misbehaving  him- 
self, considering  that  he  was  a  veritable  god :  rolling, 
tossing  about,  and  holding  on  to  his  stomach  with  both 
paws,  while  he  cast  his  eyes  in  an  agonized  manner 
upwards,  and  howled  dolefully.  In  plain  English  his 
godship  had  eaten  too    many  bon-bons  and  sweet- 


192  DUE   WEST. 

meats,  and  was  paying  the  penalty  from  which  even 
sacred  monkeys  are  not  exempt.  Another,  evidently 
the  mother  of  twins,  ran  about  with  one  under  each 
arm,  now  and  then  stopping  at  convenient  places  to 
nurse  them  after  a  fashion  ludicrously  human.  Ad- 
joining the  temple  is  a  large  water  tank  in  which  the 
monkeys  are  fond  of  bathing,  their  pranks  in  the 
water  affording  much  amusement. 

It  is  difl&cult  to  realize  the  mental  degradation  of 
a  people  controlled  by  a  frame  of  mind  leading  them 
to  worship  these  creatures  ;  and  it  is  equally  ludicrous 
to  recall  the  fact,  in  this  connection,  that  the  Japa- 
nese eat  them.  The  hollow  trunk  of  a  venerable  tam- 
arind-tree was  shown  where  all  the  baby  monkeys  are 
born.  About  the  doors  of  this  temple  sat  women 
with  baskets  of  yellow  marigold  blossoms,  to  sell  to 
native  visitors  for  decorating  purposes  at  the  altar. 
Great  use  is  made  of  this  flower,  which  seems  to  be 
raised  in  large  quantities  for  this  object.  Once  or 
twice  we  saw  these  women  sell  a  handful  for  a  half- 
penny ;  but  it  must  be  a  sorry  trade  whereby  to  earn 
a  living.  Pigeons  swarm  in  and  about  Benares  enjoy- 
ing a  superstitious  veneration  and  protection ;  while 
sacred  bulls  obstruct  the  passages,  and  the  narrow, 
nauseous,  over-crowded  streets,  rendering  them  too 
filthy  for  foot  passage.  Everything  appears  to  be  in 
a  state  of  chronic  decay  ;  and  as  the  city  flourished 
twelve  hundred  years  before  Christ,  — indeed  may  be 
said  to  have  been  at  the  zenith  of  its  glory  at  that 
period,  —  it  is  not  surprising  that  it  should  be  in  a 
tumble-down  condition  in  our  day.  This  very  dilap- 
idation, however,  renders  the  river  front  one  of  the 
most  picturesque  sights  imaginable.  Being  a  British 
possession,  there  is  a  European  quarter  of  the  town, 


THE  SACRED  RIVER.  193 

quite  modern  in  aspect,  ornamented  with  large  and 
fine  public  structures,  churches,  post-oflBce,  and  gov- 
ernment buildings,  besides  some  charming  private  res- 
idences or  bungalows.  But  the  native  portion,  always 
crowded  with  sacred  animals,  beggars,  curs,  and  filth 
of  every  sort,  seemed  a  very  hot-bed  for  pestilence.  In 
most  of  the  native  huts  the  light  of  the  sun  can  never 
penetrate,  and  compared  to  them  underground  dun- 
geons would  be  desirable  residences.  Our  local  guide 
told  us  there  were  over  two  thousand  public  temples 
and  shrines  in  Benares,  and  he  might  have  added  in 
every  stage  of  dirt,  decomposition,  and  ruin.  The 
sights  to  be  witnessed  in  them  were  most  repulsive, 
and  yet  there  were  some  sincere  votaries  there.  There 
were  rogues  also,  a  fact  proven  by  the  circumstance 
that  the  guide,  native  and  resident  here,  had  his 
pocket  picked  before  the  altar  while  explaining  mat- 
ters to  our  party. 

As  a  fine  characteristic  view  of  the  city  is  to  be 
obtained  from  the  river  front,  a  boat  was  taken,  with 
half  a  dozen  oarsmen,  to  pull  along  the  ghats,  or 
flights  of  broad  stone  steps,  descending  to  the  river 
from  the  shattered  old  palaces,  prostrate  temples,  and 
half-sunken  quays,  which  extend  in  a  continuous  line 
for  more  than  two  miles  along  the  Ganges.  Here 
hundreds,  nay  thousands  of  people  of  both  sexes  and 
of  all  conditions,  are  to  be  seen  at  any  hour  of  the  day 
dipping  and  washing  in  the  sacred  waters ;  which 
ceremony  to  them  is  tangible  prayer.  Here  was  a 
small  group  gathered  about  a  delicate  invalid,  who 
lay  upon  a  litter,  brought  to  the  spot  that  she  might 
be  bathed  in  these  waters,  which  it  was  hoped  would 
make  her  whole.  Here  still  another  collection  sur- 
rounded the  fading  and  flickering  lamp  of  life  that 

13 


194  DUE   WEST. 

burned  dimly  in  the  breast  of  age,  come  to  die  by  the 
healing  river.  And  close  at  hand,  beneath  that  sheet, 
was  the  cold  clay  of  one  already  departed,  now  to  be 
consumed  upon  the  funeral  pyre  and  his  ashes  cast  into 
the  Ganges.  What  a  picture  of  life  and  death,  what 
a  practical  comment  upon  poor  humanity  !  On  these 
ghats  the  Hindoos  pass  their  happiest  hours,  notwith- 
standing these  sad  episodes  ;  coming  from  the  con- 
fined, dirty,  unwholesome  streets  in  which  they  sleep 
and  eat,  to  pray  and  bathe,  as  well  as  to  breathe  the 
fresh  air  and  to  bask  in  the  sun.  The  hideous  fakirs 
make  their  fixed  lodging-places  here,  living  entirely 
in  the  open  air,  in  all  their  revolting  personal  de- 
formity, diseased  and  filthy.  Their  distorted  limbs 
fixed  in  every  conceivable  attitude  of  penance,  their 
faces  besmeared  with  white  clay,  and  their  long  hair 
matted  and  clotted  with  dirt.  There  are  pious  fools 
enough  to  kneel  before  them,  and  to  give  them  food 
and  money,  by  which  they  are  supported  in  their 
crazy  self-immolation. 

It  was  observed  that  some  of  the  women  took  into 
the  river  with  them  short  garlands  of  yellow  and 
white  flowers,  which  they  seemed  to  count  over  like  a 
Roman  Catholic  kneeling  with  her  beads,  and  finally 
to  break  them  in  pieces  and  cast  them  upon  the  sur- 
face of  the  river,  watching  them  borne  away  upon  the 
tide.  Each  one  was  provided  also  with  a  small  brass 
jar  in  which  to  carry  away  a  portion  of  the  sacred  wa- 
ter, after  having  completed  their  baths,  and  washed 
their  clothes  therein.  The  people  have  no  hesitation 
in  drinking  this  water  in  which  so  many  have  bathed, 
nor  in  carrying  it  home  for  cooking  purposes.  Yet 
they  must  have,  like  ourselves,  seen  the  ashes  of  the 
cremated  corpses  cast  into  it,  and  have  observed  the 


LEGITIMATE  BUSINESS  OF  BENARES.    195 

frequent  dead  bodies  floating  therein.  One  would 
think  a  single  glance  at  the  yellow,  filthy  hue  of  the 
water  would  be  sufficient  to  debar  its  use  ;  but  the 
very  name  of  the  Ganges  sanctifies  everything  with 
these  mentally  blind  creatures.  Sometimes,  though 
this  is  not  a  frequent  occurrence,  a  crocodile  takes 
away  a  bather;  but  such  persons  are  rather  envied 
than  regretted,  since  to  die  in  those  waters  is  in 
their  estimation  simply  to  be  at  once  wafted  to  the 
elysian  fields  of  paradise. 

All  this  fanaticism,  mad  zeal,  and  credulous  idol- 
atry could  not  alone  sustain  and  support  a  city  like 
Benares,  though  it  attracts  millions  of  pilgrims  an- 
nually. There  must  be  some  reasonable  nucleus 
to  form  about,  some  occupation  and  industry  with 
the  semblance  of  common  sense,  something  besides 
priestly  art  and  cunning.  Therefore,  looking  about 
us  we  find  in  her  bazars  the  skilled  product  of  real 
artisans,  in  the  form  of  brass  ware  of  such  admirable 
finish  as  to  monopolize  the  markets  of  the  world  in 
this  line.  And  again,  there  is  produced  in  her  dark 
alleys  and  dirty  lanes  an  article  of  silver  gilt  em- 
broidery of  unequaled  excellence.  Specimens  of  these 
remarkable  local  products  are  sure  to  be  brought 
away  by  appreciative  travelers,  while  the  local  de- 
mand from  rich  natives  is  very  large  in  the  aggre- 
gate. So  there  are  many  homes  in  this  strange,  idol- 
atrous, dirty,  Indian  Mecca,  which  are  supported, 
after  all,  by  legitimate  industry. 

A  bird's-eye  view  of  the  city  and  its  environs  was 
enjoyed  by  ascending  to  the  top  of  the  lofty  minaret 
crowning  the  great  Mosque  of  Aurungzebe,  so  high, 
that  not  a  street  or  roadway  could  be  detected  by  the 
eye  in  all  the  densely  populated  city.     The  town  be- 


196  DUE   WEST. 

low  appeared  like  one  dense  mass  of  houses,  recalling 
the  view  of  Milan  from  the  pinnacle  of  its  famous 
cathedral ;  but  the  streets  of  Benares  are  so  narrow 
that  it  is  liardly  surprising  to  find  them  undistin- 
guishable  from  so  great  a  height.  The  palace  of  the 
Maharajah  of  Vizianagram  was  also  visited,  a  well- 
appointed  and  elegant  residence,  where  were  to  be  seen 
some  fine  engravings  upon  the  walls,  representing 
American  historical  scenes,  and  especially  an  admira- 
ble portrait  of  Washington.  An  ancient  observatory 
was  of  more  than  ordinary  interest  to  us,  erected  by 
a  famous  Hindoo  patron  of  science,  Rajah  Manu. 
Though  now  quite  neglected  and  in  partial  ruins,  a 
sun-dial,  a  zodiac,  meridian  line,  and  astronomical  ap- 
pliances are  still  distinctly  traced  upon  heavy  stones, 
arranged  for  celestial  observations.  This  proves  that 
astronomy  was  well  advanced  at  Benares  hundreds  of 
years  before  Galileo  was  born,  and  it  will  be  remem- 
bered that  the  astronomers  of  India  first  settled  the 
fact  of  the  rotation  of  the  earth.  The  Man-Mundil, 
as  this  observatory  is  called,  forms  a  most  important 
historic  link  between  the  days  of  the  Pharaohs  and 
the  nineteenth  century. 

Here,  as  in  many  other  Eastern  cities,  we  found 
men,  women,  and  children  lying  down  and  sleeping 
in  the  streets  and  on  the  roadways,  wherever  fatigue 
overcame  them,  —  all  places  were  the  same  to  them, 
vast  numbers  knowing  no  other  home  than  the  ground 
upon  which  they  stood.  And  here,  as  in  Calcutta, 
we  saw  the  bodies  of  the  dead  being  cremated  in  pub- 
lic, in  the  open  air,  along  the  river's  bank,  the  pyres 
being  prepared  as  already  described.  On  one  of  the 
bodies  brought  to  the  funereal  pile,  covered  with  a 
plain  sheet,  it  was  observed  that  Qowers  had  been 


INFANTICIDE  AT  THE  GANGES.  197 

strewn,  and  pale,  white  rose-buds  were  in  the  folded 
hands.  It  was  the  body  of  a  young  girl,  thus  decked 
by  loving  hands  for  her  bridal  of  death,  a  token  of 
affection  and  tenderness  no  one  could  fail  to  respect. 
Five  or  six  women  followed,  with  downcast  eyes,  the 
four  men  who  bore  the  body  upon  a  stretcher,  the 
sad  and  simple  cortege  of  one  who  had  doubtless  been 
well  beloved,  *'  too  early  fitted  for  a  better  state.'* 
Something  held  us  riveted  to  the  spot,  though  we 
knew  very  well  what  must  follow.  After  a  few  mo- 
ments the  red,  scorching  flames  wound  themselves 
gluttonously  about  that  youthful  figure,  as  though 
reveling  in  their  victim,  and  quickly  all  was  black- 
ness and  smouldering  ashes. 

To  such  extremes  do  the  pilgrims  who  visit  Bena- 
res often  carry  their  religious  fanaticism,  that  it  has 
been  found  necessary  by  the  English  government  to 
organize  a  police  system  to  prevent  their  deliberately 
drowning  themselves  in  the  sacred  waters,  actuated 
by  a  firm  belief  that  their  souls  will  be  at  once  wafted 
to  paradise.  Women  are  especially  prone  to  the 
crime  of  infanticide,  imagining  that  they  can  do  noth- 
ing better  for  their  female  children  than  to  intrust 
them  to  the  bosom  of  the  Ganges,  which  will  bear 
them  safely  to  the  ocean  of  eternity.  Poor  crea- 
tures !  From  their  stand-point  of  poverty,  with  its 
endless  deprivations  and  hardships,  and  the  hopeless 
condition  of  their  sex  in  the  East,  who  can  be  sur- 
prised at  the  conclusion  they  adopt  ? 

Jackals  are  the  night  scavengers  of  Indian  cities, 
and  no  sooner  have  the  inhabitants  retired  to  rest 
than  their  hideous  half-bark,  half-wailing  notes  jar 
upon  the  ear.  Even  in  Calcutta,  a  large  and  popu- 
lous city,  one  is  not  exempt  from  their  bowlings,  but 


198  DUE    WEST. 

in  Benares  they  are  a  recognized  institution,  and  are 
molested  by  no  one.  These  creatures  voraciously  gob- 
ble up  everything  that  is  left  exposed,  good  or  bad, 
—  vermin,  decayed  food,  offal,  every  refuse,  —  thus 
rendering  a  certain  necessary  service  in  a  climate  so 
hot  as  that  of  India.  The  natives  are  not  permitted 
to  keep  any  sort  of  firearms,  so  they  could  not  shoot 
the  jackals  if  they  desired  to  do  so ;  but  animal  life 
is  held  sacred  by  them,  and  no  native  will  spill  blood 
except  in  self-defense.  They  seem  to  have  no  crav- 
ing for  animal  food,  supporting  their  bodies  almost 
entirely  upon  rice.  It  may  also  be  that  a  fellow  feel- 
ing makes  them  kind,  for  they  live,  eat,  and  sleep 
more  like  wild  animals  than  like  human  beings,  un- 
housed and  unclothed.  The  degraded  condition  of 
eight  tenths  of  the  population  of  India  is  almost 
incredible.  Slaves  to  ignorance,  slaves  to  idolatry, 
they  are  also  political  slaves ;  nor  is  there,  so  far  as 
we  can  see,  any  better  prospect  for  them  in  the  near 
future. 

Cawnpore  is  situated  on  the  Ganges,  about  two 
hundred  and  twenty  miles  west  of  Benares,  and  was 
reached  by  cars  over  the  Oude  and  Rohilkund  Rail- 
way, the  characteristics  of  the  route  being  very  sim- 
ilar to  that  from  Calcutta  to  Benares.  Almost  the 
sole  interest  of  this  locality  to  the  tourist  is  created 
by  its  connection  with  the  mutiny  of  1857,  and  the 
several  fine  monuments  which  commemorate  the 
prominent  features  of  that  event.  It  is  true  that  the 
interest  in  scenes  where  great  crimes  have  been  per- 
petrated is,  more  or  less,  of  a  morbid  character.  INIr. 
Lee,  who  was  a  subordinate  officer  in  the  English 
army  at  that  memorable  period,  now  owns  and  keeps, 
with  his  family,  the  principal  hotel,  acting  also  as  an 


THE   INDIAN   MUTINY.  199 

efficient  guide  to  visiting  parties.  He  points  out  the 
various  places  of  special  interest,  giving  vivid  and  elo- 
quent descriptions  of  the  sad  events,  in  which  he  was 
himself  an  actor.  There  is  something  very  impressive 
in  Marochetti's  noble  monument  over  the  spot  which 
was,  at  the  time  of  the  mutiny,  a  capacious  well,  and 
into  which  the  women  and  children  of  the  English 
prisoners,  living  and  dead,  were  cast,  by  order  of  that 
inhuman  wretch,  Nana  Sahib.  It  forms  a  beautiful 
white  marble  figure  of  an  angel,  with  folded  wings 
and  palm-laden  hands,  the  eyes  cast  downward  upon 
the  now  covered  well.  The  ground  surrounding  the 
spot  is  inclosed  by  an  iron  rail,  and  beautified  with 
lovely  flowers,  carefully  tended.  Already  familiar 
with  the  detail  of  the  tragic  deeds  enacted  in  this 
place,  the  locality  was  necessarily  impressive,  and 
notably  that  of  the  Suttee-chowra  Ghat,  where  the 
final  scene  of  the  Cawnpore  massacre  took  place. 

It  was  a  sombre,  cloudy  day,  and  some  rain  fell 
while  we  were  driving  about  the  extensive  grounds 
of  the  English  cantonment.  The  influence  of  the 
sad  story  which  these  monuments  commemorate,  the 
funereal  aspect  of  the  spot,  the  gloomy,  leaden,  weep- 
ing sky  above  us,  all  served  to  heighten  the  effect  of 
the  dark  story  of  crime  and  blood  which  our  guide 
rehearsed  to  us.  In  its  palmy  days,  before  the  mu- 
tiny, two  cavalry  regiments  and  three  of  infantry 
were  stationed  here.  To  use  the  words  of  Mr.  Lee : 
"  The  place  was  full  of  officers'  wives,  children,  and 
pretty  women.  Private  theatricals  were  given  twice 
weekly,  balls  as  often,  and  picnics  and  dinners  con- 
stantly." It  must  have  been  a  round  of  holidays 
which  the  English  residents  enjoyed,  while  they  vied 
with  each  other  in  their  mutual  hospitalities.     Alas ! 


200  DUE   WEST. 

what  a  volcano  they  were  sleeping  upon ;  and  when 
it  burst  and  the  hidden  fire  poured  forth,  what  rivers 
of  blood  were  shed  from  the  veins  of  the  innocent 
and  helpless  victims ! 

We  refer  to  events  only  too  well  known  to  the 
world,  and  which  do  not  require  any  rehearsal  in  these 
pages.  A  very  complete  system  of  barracks  is  estab- 
lished here  by  the  English  government,  and  the  three 
arms  of  the  service  are  fully  represented  by  well  or- 
ganized European  troops.  The  cantonment  extends 
some  five  or  six  miles  along  the  river,  the  whole  as 
level  as  a  billiard-table.  The  present  masters  of  the 
country  learned  too  bitter  a  lesson  from  the  natives 
to  ever  again  trust  them  with  any  military  power. 
Formerly  the  English  army  in  India  was  composed  of 
as  many,  or  more,  native  troops  than  of  those  purely 
English,  and  they  were  drilled  and  taught  in  the  use 
of  all  arms.  Now  the  native  regiments  which  are 
organized  are  scattered  about  the  country  and  placed 
on  outpost  duty,  or  colonial  service  elsewhere,  but 
only  as  infantry;  they  will  not  again  be  intrusted 
with  artillery.  They  are  looked  upon  as  performing 
the  police  duty  of  the  army  rather  than  as  constitut- 
ing a  regular  portion  of  its  active  force.  Without 
actual  figures  to  depend  upon,  we  should  say  that  the 
English  troops  in  India  to-day  must  aggregate  be- 
tween forty  and  fifty  thousand  of  all  arms.  When 
we  realize  the  awful  cruelty  and  blood-thirstiness  of 
the  natives  in  the  rebellion  of  1857,  their  diabolical 
and  deliberate  murder  of  innocent  women  and  chil- 
dren, under  the  most  revolting  circumstances,  we  can- 
not look  upon  them  as  a  people  striking  for  liberty, 
or  worthy  of  it,  but  as  a  base,  degraded,  ignorant,  and 
fanatical  race,  utterly  unfit  for  self-government.     Id 


CITY  OF  DELHI.  20l 

this  light  English  rule  in  India  is  according  to  the 
eternal  fitness  of  things. 

One  day  was  sufficient  for  us  to  see  and  understand 
the  subjects  of  interest  at  Cawnpore,  and  we  took 
passage  by  the  East  Indian  Railway  for  Delhi,  a  dis- 
tance of  less  than  three  hundred  miles,  over  a  very 
level  and  rather  monotonous  stretch  of  country.  This 
city,  which  is  located  on  the  Jumna,  also  played  a 
most  important  part  in  the  great  mutiny,  the  events 
of  which  are  too  fresh  in  the  memory  of  the  world  to 
require  special  mention  ;  but  aside  from  these  associ- 
ations it  has  many  and  grand  monuments  to  engage 
the  attention  of  the  traveler,  connecting  the  ages  far 
back  of  the  Christian  era  with  to-day,  it  having  been 
for  centuries  the  proudest  capital  of  the  Mogul  Em- 
pire. Within  a  circle  of  twenty  miles  about  the 
present  city,  one  dynasty  after  another  has  established 
its  capital,  ruled  in  splendor,  and  passed  away.  In- 
stead of  occupying  the  same  site,  each  has  founded  a 
new  city,  leaving  the  old  to  crumble  into  dust,  scat- 
tering their  debris  over  the  plain,  and  telling  of  the 
mutability  of  human  temples.  All  this  ground  is  now 
abandoned  to  an  army  of  foxes,  jackals,  and  owls. 
Could  this  archasological  soil  be  plowed  up,  and  its 
ancient  monuments,  palaces,  tombs,  and  mosques  ex- 
humed, like  the  dwellings  of  Pompeii,  what  might 
not  be  revealed  of  the  hidden  past  ? 

One  monument  which  was  visited  in  the  environs 
has  thus  far  defied  the  destructive  fingers  of  time: 
the  Katub  Minar  stood  alone  in  the  midst  of  ruins, 
the  loftiest  single  column  in  the  world,  but  of  which 
there  is  no  satisfactory  record.  It  is  not  inappropri- 
ately considered  one  of  the  wonders  of  India,  and  who- 
ever erected  it  achieved  an  architectural  triumph  of 


202  DUE    WEST. 

gracefulness  and  strength.  It  is  built  of  red  stone, 
elaborately  finished  in  the  form  of  a  minaret,  meas- 
uring about  fifty  feet  in  diameter  at  the  base,  and 
ten  at  the  top,  and  is  divided  into  five  distinct  parts 
or  stories,  one  above  another,  each  fitted  with  an 
outer  gallery  and  adorned  with  colossal  inscriptions  in 
bold  relief.  The  whole  exterior  is  fluted  from  the 
bottom  to  the  top,  narrowing  gradually  as  it  ascends, 
and  affording  a  good  view  of  the  present  Delhi, 
twelve  miles  away,  while  it  overlooks  that  broad  re- 
gion of  dead  and  buried  cities.  Though  the  Katub 
Minar  has  stood  for  so  many  centuries,  not  the  least 
crack  in  the  masonry  can  be  discovered,  either  inside 
or  out.  This  singular  tower,  the  original  purpose  of 
which  can  only  be  conjectured,  stands  near  two  courts 
of  an  ancient  Hindoo  temple,  which  are  surrounded 
by  ruins  of  cloisters.  In  the  middle  of  the  area,  be- 
tween the  two  lines  of  cloisters,  stands  a  tall  iron 
pillar  with  a  Sanskrit  inscription  signifying  so  long 
as  it  remains  the  power  of  the  Hindoos  has  not  de- 
parted. 

There  is  a  legend  which  our  local  guide  related  to 
us,  that  the  Mohammedans  tried  to  destroy  this  col- 
umn by  digging  it  up,  but  were  unable  to  find  the 
bottom  of  it  after  working  many  days.  They  finally 
gave  up  the  attempt  in  superstitious  dread,  for  the 
Hindoos  declare  that  it  extends  down  to  the  earth's 
centre.  We  visited  other  temples  and  tombs,  but  the 
Katub  Minar  rivaled  them  all  in  interest.  Among 
the  branches  of  the  trees,  as  we  drove  back  to  Delhi, 
we  observed  both  wild  monkeys  and  apes,  the  latter 
species  being  the  first  we  had  seen  in  India.  Many 
birds  were  noticed,  and  whole  flocks  of  pea -green 
paroquets,  tiny  things  with  mottled  plumage,  circled 


CASHMERE  SHAWLS  IN  DELHI.  203 

about  the  trees  and  chirped  incessantly.  On  inquiry 
it  was  learned  that  nowhere  in  all  India  exists  so 
much  bitterness  towards  the  English  rule  as  is  secretly 
indulged  in  here.  That  the  populace  should  not  be 
well-disposed  towards  their  present  masters  is  not  to 
be  wondered  at ;  and  if  this  community  were  not  com- 
pletely disarmed,  and  watchfully  kept  so,  there  would 
likely  occur  outbreaks  among  them  of  a  serious  char- 
acter. As  none  but  Europeans  are  permitted  to  own 
firearms,  the  game  hereabouts  has  greatly  multiplied, 
and  some  of  the  best  bird-shooting  in  India  goes  beg- 
ging on  the  plains  about  Delhi.  Standing  at  the  door 
of  our  bungalow  in  the  early  morning,  it  was  really 
wonderful  to  see  the  number  of  crows  that  flew  up 
from  their  roosting-places  in  the  neighboring  wood, 
and  passed  overhead  dispersing  in  various  directions ; 
but  they,  as  well  as  the  jackals,  are  the  permitted 
scavengers  of  the  land,  and  no  one  thinks  of  molest- 
ing them. 

The  present  city,  now  in  its  turn  declining,  has 
been  a  most  gorgeous  capital,  and  has  twelve  forti- 
tified  gates  in  good  preservation.  Its  principal  streets 
are  broad  and  full  of  busy  life,  exhibiting  representa- 
tives of  all  the  various  Asiatic  races.  Members  of 
our  party  wished  to  purchase  a  memento  of  Delhi, 
and  what  was  there  better  suited  to  the  purpose  than 
those  fine  hand-woven  Cashmere  shawls  of  many  firm 
but  delicate  colors,  so  exquisitely  finished  ?  You  do 
not  find  these  hundred-guinea  articles  displayed  in 
open  bazars,  but  must  follow  your  guide  under  a 
broad  archway,  up  steep,  narrow,  winding  steps  into 
the  dealer's  private  house  and  shop  combined.  A 
chair  is  placed  for  each  visitor,  while  the  proprietor 
sits  down  upon  a  bit  of  Turkish  carpet,  cross-legged. 


204  DUE   WEST, 

A  few  formal  words  of  welcome  pass,  then  at  a  sign 
an  attendant  brings  out  from  some  mysterious  corner 
a  few  shawls.  The  cunning  Hindoo  is  studying  you 
with  his  deep-set  lustrous  eyes.  Not  an  expression 
of  your  face  escapes  him.  He  observes  what  pleases 
you  best,  and  whether  you  can  appreciate  quality  as 
well  as  looks.  More  shawls  are  ordered  out  from 
their  cases,  perhaps  of  a  better  grade,  while  your  cus- 
tom is  all  the  while  being  quietly  but  shrewdly  an- 
gled for,  as  a  disciple  of  Izaak  Walton  would  play 
with  his  game.  You  are  gradually  led  from  one 
piece  of  goods  to  another ;  your  guage  as  to  price  is 
adroitly  discovered  ;  and  finally,  with  consummate 
judgment,  a  certain  article,  characterized  by  fineness, 
beauty,  and  quality,  is  placed  before  you.  The  mo- 
ment your  eyes  rest  upon  it  you  are  charmed.  The 
shrewd  old  merchant  has  mentally  taken  your  meas- 
ure for  this  myriad-threaded  beauty,  and  you  are  cap- 
tivated. The  price  is  named.  "  Too  much,"  say  you. 
But  you  are  told  that  this  establishment  is  conducted 
on  the  fixed  -  price  principle  ;  if  cheaper  goods  are 
desired,  there  are  those  first  shown  to  you.  Why 
struggle  ?  You  are  literally  caught,  and  may  as  well 
surrender.  So  this  exquisite  article  from  far-off 
Cashmere  is  folded  up  and  intrusted  to  the  guide. 
The  gold  is  counted,  and  you  receive  a  salaam,  as  you 
depart,  which  might  have  been  accorded  to  the  Queen 
of  Sheba. 

In  the  broad  main  thoroughfare  of  Delhi,  —  the 
Chandni  Chowk,  —  one  constantly  meets  ponderous 
elephants,  solemn  and  awkward  camels,  fine  Arabian 
horses,  and  the  diminutive  toy-like  pony  of  Cashmere. 
Daily  marriage  processions  of  the  most  fantastic  de- 
scription crowd  the  passage-way,  with  the  animals 


A  BETROTHAL  PROCESSION.  205 

just  named,  caparisoned  in  the  most  gaudy  and  harle- 
quin style,  accompanied  by  unskilled  musicians,  whose 
qualifications  evidently  consist  in  being  able  to  make 
the  greatest  amount  of  noise  upon  a  drum,  fife,  or  horn, 
which  are  the  three  instruments  that  are  employed 
on  these  occasions.  Some  of  the  white  horses  in 
these  processions  are  partially  painted  sky-blue,  some 
saffron  -  yellow.  In  the  ranks  are  covered  bullock 
carts  with  peep-holes,  in  which  ride  the  women  of  the 
harem.  Mingled  with  these  are  men  bearing  banners 
with  Hindoo  mottoes  and  ludicrous  characters,  half 
human  and  half  animal,  painted  thereon.  This  was 
called  a  marriage  procession,  but  upon  inquiry  it  was 
found  to  be  only  a  betrothal  of  children  too  young  to 
marry.  The  boy,  bridegroom  in  embryo,  appeared 
upon  an  elephant,  and  was  dressed  like  a  circus-rider; 
but  the  future  bride,  probably  a  little  girl  of  six  or 
eight  years,  did  not  appear.  She  remained  at  home, 
to  be  called  upon  by  this  motley  crowd,  when  a  brief 
ceremony  would  take  place,  presents  be  exchanged, 
and  the  farce  would  then  be  ended. 

A  visit  to  the  palace  of  the  late  King  of  Delhi  was 
full  of  interest,  exhibiting  evidences  of  elegance  and 
splendor  almost  beyond  belief.  Here  are  still  to  be 
seen  the  remains  of  that  famous  Peacock  Throne,  the 
marvel  of  the  world  when  the  Mogul  dynasty  was  at 
its  zenith,  —  a  throne  of  solid  gold,  six  feet  long  and 
four  feet  broad,  surmounted  by  a  gold  canopy  sup- 
ported by  twelve  pillars  composed  of  the  same  pre- 
cious metal.  The  back  of  the  throne  was  so  made  as 
to  represent  a  peacock  with  expanded  tail,  the  natu- 
ral colors  of  which  were  exactly  imitated  with  rubies, 
sapphires,  diamonds,  and  other  precious  stones,  the  ag- 
gregated value  of  the  whole  being  over  thirty  millions 


206  DUE   WEST. 

of  dollars.  And  this  was  not  an  isolated  case,  an  ex-- 
ception,  but  only  an  example  of  the  lavish  expendi- 
tures of  the  Mogul  emperors.  They  used  choice  stones, 
gems,  gold,  and  silver,  with  precious  marbles,  in  mo- 
saic work,  as  freely  as  modern  rulers  employ  bricks 
and  mortar.  Their  revenues  were  practically  unlim- 
ited, and  their  expenditures  were  of  the  same  char- 
acter. The  country  was  one  of  the  richest  in  the 
world,  but  the  wealth  was  in  the  hands  of  the  few, 
and  the  poor  were  all  the  poorer  in  proportion,  being 
taxed  to  the  extremest  possible  point,  and  compelled 
to  give  free  labor  to  all  such  enterprises,  as  the  rul- 
ing power  might  dictate. 

The  Grand  Mosque  at  Delhi  is  one  of  the  best 
preserved  and  most  remarkable  of  her  monuments. 
It  has  three  domes  of  noble  proportions,  a  hundred 
and  fifty  feet  in  height,  surrounded  by  minarets,  the 
whole  structure  standing  upon  an  elevated  platform 
accessible  by  broad  marble  steps.  It  is  known  as  the 
Jumna  Musjid,  and  is  conceded  to  be  the  finest  of 
which  Islamism  can  boast,  owing  its  construction  to 
that  grand  builder  of  tombs,  palaces,  and  mosques, 
Shah-Jehan,  —  the  creator  of  the  Taj,  that  poem  in 
marble  at  Agra,  the  glory  and  pride  of  India.  The 
Jumna  Musjid  is  built  principally  of  red  stone,  but 
is  freely  inlaid  with  white  marble,  and  as  a  whole  is 
very  impressive  and  Oriental  in  feeling. 

The  Hindoos  claim  for  their  country  even  a  greater 
antiquity  than  do  the  Chinese,  but  there  is  probably 
nothing  authentic  relating  to  the  early  history  of 
this  people  prior  to  the  time  of  Alexander  the  Great, 
say  four  hundred  years  before  Christ.  Of  one  thing 
we  are  positive,  that  the  reign  of  the  Mogul  emper- 
ors exceeded  in  splendor  all  that  the  world  has  ever 


PERPETUAL  SUMMER.  207 

seen  outside  of  Hindostan.  Indeed,  it  was  their  great 
wealth,  so  lavishly  displayed,  which  first  challenged 
European  cupidity.  We  have  said  the  Delhi  of  to-day 
is  in  its  turn  declining.  It  has  never  recovered  from 
the  blow  it  received  a  century  since,  inflicted  by  Na- 
dir Shah,  who  pillaged  the  city  and  carried  away,  in 
gold  and  precious  stones,  treasures  estimated  at  over 
a  hundred  million  sterling  !  Among  his  prizes  on 
that  occasion  was  the  famous  Koh-i-noor  diamond, 
since  "  appropriated  "  by  the  English  ;  and  which  to- 
day forms  a  part  of  Queen  Victoria's  crown  jewels. 
It  will  not  do  to  analyze  too  closely  by  what  means 
this  was  brought  about.  What  a  romantic  history 
would  the  true  story  of  that  "  Mountain  of  Light  '* 
prove,  could  it  be  honestly  written. 

Nature  does  not  exhibit  the  usual  dividing  lines 
in  this  region  as  regards  the  seasons  of  the  years. 
Flowers  are  always  in  bloom  in  the  open  fields  and 
gardens,  trees  ever  putting  forth  their  leaves,  and 
perpetual  youth  is  evinced  by  the  entire  vegetable 
kingdom.  No  winter,  spring,  or  autumn  is  known 
to  the  Indian  calendar,  the  year  being  divided  only 
into  hot,  rainy,  and  temperate  seasons.  Though  it 
was  the  last  of  January  while  we  were  in  Delhi,  only 
summer  clothing  was  worn  ;  outside  garments  were 
not  thought  of,  the  thermometer  ranging  about  68°. 
Such  temperature  admits  of  a  series  of  crops  tri-annu- 
ally,  if  the  husbandman  chooses  thus  to  time  his  plant- 
ing and  harvesting,  —  which  processes  indeed  appear 
to  be  going  on  all  the  year  round.  The  women  were 
seemingly  of  rather  a  coarser  type  than  those  we  had 
lately  met,  and  were  found  working  much  in  the  fields, 
as  well  as  performing  a  large  share  of  the  out-door 
labor.      There  is  a  new  canal,  with  locks,  etc.,  now 


208  DUE  WEST, 

in  course  of  construction  in  the  environs  of  Delhi, 
where  men,  women,  and  boys  were  seen  employed 
in  about  equal  numbers,  aggregating  some  hundreds, 
carrying  dirt  and  bricks  in  baskets  upon  their  backs, 
as  well  as  digging,  shoveling,  and  performing  similar 
work.  The  guide  informed  us  that  the  men  received 
as  wages  twelve  cents,  the  women  ten,  and  the  boys 
eight  cents  per  day  of  ten  hours.  We  must,  however, 
again  refer  to  the  fact  that  the  purchasing  power  of 
these  sums  is  much  greater  than  with  us,  say  at  least 
treble;  still  they  are  terribly  low  wages.  Perhaps 
there  is  no  better  criterion  of  judgment  as  to  the 
true  domestic  condition  of  any  people,  than  the  cur- 
rent value  at  which  a  man's  labor  is  estimated.  As 
to  the  common  class  of  women  in  India,  kept  as  all 
are  in  the  most  absolute  subjection  and  ignorance,  a 
more  hopeless  state  than  theirs  cannot  be  conceived 
of.  They  are  divided  into  two  classes,  the  favored 
and  the  humble.  The  former  are  treated  as  toys,  the 
latter  as  slaves. 

The  last  journey  from  Cawnpore  to  Delhi  was 
made  by  night,  so  again  we  were  obliged  to  take  the 
cars  on  the  Scinde,  Punjab,  and  Delhi  road  for  Lahore 
at  nine  o'clock  P.  M.,  crossing  the  Jumna  almost  im- 
mediately after  starting.  The  distance  from  Delhi 
to  Lahore  is  about  three  hundred  and  fifty  miles. 
Traveling,  even  by  rail,  in  India  is  still  accomplished 
on  primitive  principles,  and  mostly  in  the  hours  of 
the  night.  Such  bedding  as  one  indulges  in  must  be 
taken  along  with  the  other  personal  baggage.  A 
pillow  and  blanket  are  absolute  necessities,  and  any- 
thing beyond  these  two  domestic  articles  is  consid- 
ered a  luxury.  With  even  these  slight  accompa- 
niments and  plenty  of  fatigue,  one  is   apt  to  fall 


*' ZAMAZAMAH.'*  209 

asleep  and  make  the  best  of  it,  whether  upon  the 
stone  floor  of  a  bungalow  or  in  an  upright  position 
in  the  oscillating  cars.  Lahore  is  the  capital  of  the 
Punjab,  being  one  of  the  most  ancient  and  famous 
cities  of  the  country,  and  was  flourishing  and  popu- 
lous at  the  time  of  Alexander's  invasion.  Here  are 
the  headquarters  of  a  large  division  of  British  troops, 
the  red  coats  besprinkling  every  street  and  roadway. 
Its  history  is  interwoven  with  every  Mohammedan 
dynasty  of  northern  India,  having  been  founded  al- 
most two  thousand  years  ago. 

There  is  a  museum  of  special  local  interest  where 
are  gathered  and  well  classified  specimens  of  the  nat- 
ural products,  industries,  native  gems,  minerals,  ani- 
mals, and  birds  throughout  the  Punjab,  well  worth  a 
few  hours  of  examination  and  study.  Opposite  the 
museum  building  there  was  observed,  in  the  centre 
of  an  open  plot  of  ground,  a  large,  long  cannon 
mounted,  and  of  Indian  manufacture,  over  a  century 
in  Mge.  It  was  used  by  Ahmed  Shah  in  the  battle 
of  Paniput  and  is  famous  among  the  populace  by 
the  name  of  "  Zamazamah."  There  are  also  mosques, 
mausoleums,  and  forts  to  be  visited,  all  attractive, 
with  some  curious  ruins  of  old  palaces  and  Hindoo 
temples,  to  all  of  which  we  paid  due  attention,  but 
a  detailed  account  of  which  would  hardly  interest 
the  general  reader.  In  the  better  part  of  the  town 
the  streets  are  broad  and  lined  by  two-story  houses  — 
a  style  not  very  common  in  India.  From  the  orna- 
mental balconies,  and  projecting  windows  framed  in 
lattice  -  work,  the  women  of  the  harems  looked  out 
upon  us,  with  their  faces  partially  covered,  but  yet 
taking  care  to  exhibit  a  profusion  of  jewelry,  having 
three  or  four  large  loops  of  gold  in  each  ear,  as  well 

14 


210  DUE   WEST. 

as  nose-rings,  outdoing  in  glitter  their  sisters  of  Pe- 
nang. 

The  few  women  to  be  met  with  in  the  streets  had 
their  bare  feet  thrust  into  the  tiniest  of  pink  kid 
shppevs,  far  too  small  for  them,  their  ankles  covered 
with  broad  gold  rings,  five  or  six  deep,  coming  up  to 
the  calf.  Their  bare  arms  showed  the  wrists  covered 
with  bracelets  of  gold  and  silver  alternately,  nearly 
to  the  elbow ;  and  above  the  elbow  was  a  broad  gold 
band.  Some  of  them  were  so  covered  with  rings, 
bracelets,  bangles,  and  necklaces  as  to  amount  to  itin- 
erant jewelry  bazars.  The  etiquette  of  these  women, 
some  of  whom  were  scarcely  out  of  their  teens,  ap- 
peared to  be,  in  the  first  place,  to  cover  the  face  above 
the  chin,  except  the  eyes,  and  then  to  expose  as  much 
of  their  bodies  as  could  effectively  bear  jewelry,  in- 
cluding necklaces  of  either  imitation  or  real  stones 
hanging  down  over  the  bosom.  Add  to  the  whole 
a  reckless  disregard  for  natural  delicacy,  and  you 
have  a  Lahore  belle  of  to-day  as  she  appears  on  the 
street.  We  saw  nowhere  else  in  India  such  freedom 
and  publicity  permitted  to  inmates  of  the  harem. 
Girls  are  frequently  married  here  at  twelve  years,  and 
the  number  of  wives  a  man  may  possess,  in  any  part 
of  India,  is  only  limited  by  his  purse. 

Elephants  of  greater  size  than  the  famous  Jumbo, 
and  also  camels,  enter  into  common,  every-day  use 
here  as  do  donkeys  and  horses  in  European  cities ;  but 
such  horses  as  one  sees  at  Lahore  are  generally  very 
fine  creatures,  of  the  true  Arab  breed,  with  faces  al- 
most human  in  intelligence.  These  animals  are  at  the 
same  time  high-spirited  and  gentle,  with  forms  that 
are  the  very  ideal  of  equine  grace  and  beauty.  Round 
bodies,  arching  necks,  small  heads  and  limbs,   large 


LAHORE.  211 

eyes  and  nostrils,  with  full  mane  and  tail.  Lahore 
is  a  place  of  more  than  usual  interest  to  the  traveler, 
as  exhibiting  much  of  the  peculiar  and  inner  life  of 
India.  We  were  particularly  attracted  by  public 
and,  private  flower-gardens,  fruit  orchards,  and  orna- 
mental trees,  disposed  in  such  an  excellent  manner 
as  to  give  the  general  effect  of  a  finely  and  naturally- 
wooded  country ;  and  yet  we  were  told  that  before 
the  English  took  possession  and  built  up  the  Euro- 
pean quarter,  Lahore  was  only  a  city  surrounded  by 
sterile  fields,  and  absolutely  without  a  tree,  orna- 
mental or  otherwise,  within  its  extended  borders. 
The  orchards  and  gardens  referred  to  are  those  of 
European  residents.  Among  the  exotics  we  observed 
the  AustraUan  gum-tree  and  the  Chinese  tallow-tree, 
large  and  thrifty  in  both  instances.  Lahore  was  also 
the  only  place  in  India  where  we  saw  mulberry-tree 
orchards.  Like  Delhi,  the  city  presents  many  evi- 
dences of  its  former  splendor,  with  ruins  still  archi- 
tecturally grand  and  beautiful,  though  rapidly  moul- 
dering to  dust. 

We  heard  of  excellent  educational  results  growing 
out  of  missionary  efforts  at  Lahore,  and  it  is  really 
in  this  direction  that  the  most  good  will  be  accom- 
plished. As  regards  religious  converts,  they  are  few 
and  far  between,  and  of  very  little  account  when 
apparently  made  ;  but  in  cultivating  the  intelligence 
of  the  people,  a  great  and  good  work  is  being  per- 
formed, one  which  must  eventually  shake  the  fabric 
of  heathen  mythology  to  its  very  centre.  An  idola- 
trous people  must  come  from  the  ranks  of  ignorance, 
—  from  a  priest-ridden  race.  When  the  Hindoo  is 
capable  of  thinking  and  reasoning  for  himself,  he  no 
longer  believes  in  the  idol-gods  of  his  fathers.     The 


212  DUE    WEST. 

preaching"  of  this  or  that  special  faith  is  of  little 
avail,  and  to  us  seems  to  be  the  least  of  all  mission- 
ary work.  The  true  object  is  comprised  in  the  sin- 
gle effort  of  enlightenment.  Education  is  the  great 
Christianizer  for  India.  People  of  culture  will  not 
bow  down  before  graven  images,  nor  worship  bulls 
and  monkeys. 

Umritsar,  the  sacred  city  of  the  Sikhs,  our  next 
stopping-place,  is  less  than  forty  miles  from  Lahore, 
and  is  a  walled  city  of  nearly  two  hundred  thousand 
inhabitants,  composed  mostly  of  Sikhs,  Hindoos,  Mo- 
hammedans, and  Cashmiris.  The  principal  attraction 
of  the  city  to  strangers  is  the  famous  Golden  Temple, 
so  called  because  the  cupola  is  covered  with  a  thin 
layer  of  the  precious  metal,  having  the  same  effect  as 
that  of  the  dome  of  the  Invalides  at  Paris,  or  that  of 
the  Boston  State  House.  Five  hundred  priests  are 
attached  to  this  temple,  and  are  constantly  perform- 
ing ceremonies,  which,  to  an  uninitiated  person,  seem 
like  utter  nonsense,  and  want  of  purpose.  By  the 
side  of  the  temple  is  a  very  large  tank  covering  three 
acres  or  more  of  ground,  supplied  by  neighboring 
springs;  and  though  it  is  constantly  bathed  in  by 
thousands  of  pilgrims,  and  has  no  visible  outlet,  was 
still  clear  and  sweet,  which  fact  the  natives  attribute 
to  some  miraculous  intervention.  This  lake  is  called 
Amrita  Saras,  or  the  Fountain  of  Immortality,  hence 
the  name  of  the  city.  There  are  other  mosques  and 
public  gardens  of  interest,  and  the  traveler  should  not 
forget  to  visit  one  or  more  of  the  shawl  manufacto- 
ries, where  the  famous  Indian  article  is  woven  by 
hand  in  a  most  primitive  loom  worked  by  two  per- 
sons. Another  specialty  is  the  manufacture  of  per- 
forated ivory  goods,  which  are  brought  to  great  per- 
fection and  are  in  quick  demand  for  foreign  markets. 


AN  ACCIDENT.  213 

As  we  passed  through  an  open  square  near  the 
Golden  Temple  a  dry  goods  auction  was  in  progress, 
for  the  disposal  of  under-clothing,  which  seemed  like 
sending  warming-pans  to  the  West  Indies,  since  no 
native  wears  such  articles.  A  Jew  was  the  auctioneer, 
and  was  evidently  selling  at  very  low  prices  to  get 
rid  of  the  goods,  for  the  poor  people  purchased  and 
handed  them  about  as  curiosities.  The  scene  oc- 
curred on  the  high  stone  steps  leading  up  to  a  temple, 
and  among  the  crowd  a  little  girl  of  four  or  five  years 
was  thrown  down  the  steps,  cutting  a  severe  gash  on 
her  forehead.  With  the  usual  dullness  of  ignorance, 
a  crowd  gathered  about  the  now  insensible  child, 
frightened  at  the  sight  of  blood,  while  the  mother 
stood  inert,  where  the  child  lay  upon  the  ground,  her 
own  agonized  features  and  clasped  hands  forming  a 
picture  of  despair.  No  experienced  traveler  will  be 
without  sticking-plaster,  and  for  us  to  pick  up  the 
child,  wash  out  the  wound,  draw  the  lips  carefully 
together  and  secure  them,  binding  up  the  bruised 
head  in  a  handkerchief,  was  the  work  of  only  a  few 
moments.  We  were  amply  compensated  by  the  re- 
viving smile  of  the  little  sufferer ;  but  it  was  impos- 
sible to  prevent  the  grateful  mother  from  lying  prone 
upon  the  ground  and  kissing  our  feet. 

From  Umritsar  to  Agra  is  four  hundred  and  fifty 
miles.  One  night  and  day  of  uninterrupted  travel 
brought  us  to  its  interesting  borders,  where  we  found 
a  large  and  well-conducted  hotel  —  one  of  the  best  we 
had  chanced  upon  in  the  country.  This  journey  was 
through  the  plains  of  middle  India,  and  afforded 
some  attractive  and  quite  varied  scenery,  including 
large  sugar  plantations  in  full  stalk,  thrifty  mango 
groves,  tall  palm-trees,  orange-trees  with  their  golden 


214  DUE   WEST, 

fruit,  and  far-reaching,  graceful  fields  of  waving 
grain,  mingled  with  thrifty  patches  of  the  castor  bean. 
These  objects  were  interspersed  with  groups  of  cattle 
and  goats  tended  by  herdsmen,  who  often  stood  lean- 
ing on  long  poles  in  picturesque  attitudes,  wrapped 
about  in  flowing,  sheet-like  robes  of  white  cotton,  re- 
lieved by  a  scarlet  belt  and  yellow  turban.  These 
men  and  their  surroundings  formed  just  such  figures 
as  a  painter  would  delight  to  throw  into  a  picture, 
with  the  animals  feeding  in  the  background.  Now 
and  again  a  group  of  minarets,  with  a  central  dome, 
would  come  into  view  on  the  horizon,  breaking  the 
deep  blue  of  the  sky  with  their  dark  shadows ;  or  a 
ruined  temple  was  seen  close  at  hand,  charred  and 
crumbled  by  the  wear  of  the  elements  for  centuries. 

India  abounds  in  these  forsaken  and  half -decayed 
shrines,  once,  no  doubt,  centres  of  busy  life  and  re- 
ligious ceremonials.  Tall  cranes,  pelicans,  ibises,  and 
other  large  water-birds  rose  occasionally  from  the 
ponds,  and  fanned  themselves  slowly  away.  On  por- 
tions of  the  road  the  telegraph  wires,  running  paral- 
lel with  the  track,  were  covered  with  tiny  birds  of 
indigo-blue,  decked  with  long  slim  tail-feathers.  As 
we  passed,  they  would  rise  in  clouds,  circle  about  for 
a  moment,  and  again  settle  upon  the  wires  where 
they  had  been  roosting.  Little  clusters  of  rice-birds, 
scarcely  larger  than  butterflies,  floated  like  colored 
vapor  over  the  fields,  glistening  in  the  warm  sun- 
light. Wild  peacocks  were  seen  feeding  near  the 
rails,  but  not  in  populous  districts.  In  the  early  gray 
of  the  morning,  more  than  once  on  the  lonely  plains, 
a  tall,  gaunt  wolf  was  observed  coolly  watching  the 
passing  train,  or  loping  swiftly  away.  Camels  were 
seen  in  long  strings,  with  their  loads  protruding  on 


CITY  OF  AGRA.  215 

either  side,  slowly  moving  over  the  country  roads ; 
while  an  occasional  elephant,  with  half  a  dozen  peo- 
ple upon  its  capacious  back,  served  to  vary  the  ever- 
changing  panorama. 

Our  course  was  nearly  due  south,  so  that  we  felt 
an  increased  rise  in  the  temperature  from  hour  to 
hour.  As  before  remarked,  it  was  a  surprise  to  see 
how  many  of  the  poor  people  availed  themselves  of 
the  railroad.  The  third  class  cars  were  thronged 
with  them  going  to  Benares,  or  some  other  holy  place, 
on  religious  pilgrimages ;  which,  indeed,  appears  to 
be  the  one  absorbing  idea  of  their  lives.  It  was  not 
unusual  to  see  two  hundred  of  these  pilgrims,  com- 
posed of  both  sexes  and  of  all  ages,  enter  the  cars 
from  some  small  station.  Though  these  people  wear 
the  scantiest  of  clothing,  yet  they  affect  strong  con- 
trasts in  colors,  which  will  give  picturesqueness  even 
to  rags.  The  third  class  cars  of  an  Indian  railroad  are 
little  better  than  our  cattle  cars  in  America;  and 
these  natives  were  hustled  into  them  and  locked  up, 
much  after  the  style  of  loading  live  stock  in  Illinois. 

Agra,  which,  like  Delhi,  stands  not  on  the  Ganges, 
but  on  its  great  tributary,  the  Jumna,  is  an  impor- 
tant city,  fully  as  populous  as  Lahore ;  and  though 
its  history  is  rather  vague,  still  there  are  tangible  evi- 
dences carrying  it  back  more  than  a  thousand  years, 
while  some  authorities  claim  for  it  a  much  greater 
antiquity.  Its  modern  history  is  interwoven  with 
the  great  mutiny,  and  our  local  guide  wearied  us  by 
expatiating  volubly  upon  the  subject.  To  all  who 
come  hither,  the  first  great  object  of  interest  will  be 
the  Taj  Mahal,  or  tomb  of  the  wife  of  Emperor 
Shah-Jehan,  the  most  interesting  building  in  India, 
and  perhaps  the  most  beautiful  in  the  world.  A  tomb 


216  DUE   WEST, 

in  this  country  means  a  magnificent  structure  of  mar- 
ble, with  domes  and  minarets,  the  walls  inlaid  with 
precious  stones,  and  the  whole  surrounded  by  gar- 
dens, fountains,  and  artificial  lakes,  covering  from  ten 
to  twenty  acres.  Cheap  as  labor  is  in  India,  the  Taj 
must  have  cost  some  fifteen  millions  of  dollars,  and 
was  seventeen  years  in  building.  The  Mogul  Em- 
peror resolved  to  erect  the  most  superb  monument 
ever  reared  to  commemorate  a  woman's  name,  and 
he  certainly  succeeded,  for  in  his  effort  Mohammedan 
architecture  reached  its  acme.  The  mausoleum  is 
situated  in  a  spacious  garden,  the  equal  of  which  can 
hardly  be  found  elsewhere,  beautiful  to  the  eye,  and 
delightful  to  the  senses  with  fragrant  flowers,  exotic 
and  indigenous,  of  every  hue,  and  in  endless  vari- 
ety, embracing  acres  of  roses,  "  each  cup  a  pulpit, 
every  leaf  a  book."  These  are  softly  shaded  by 
trees  scarcely  less  beautiful  than  themselves.  The 
whole  scene  is  reflected  in  lakes  of  clearest  water, 
from  which  scores  of  fountains  throw  up  pearly 
jets  in  the  dazzling  sunshine  the  livelong  day  and 
through  the  still  watches  of  the  night.  This  grand 
structure,  with  the  ripeness  of  centuries  upon  it,  is 
no  ruin ;  there  is  no  neglect  in  or  about  the  Taj  and 
its  gardens.  All  is  fresh,  fragrant,  and  perfect  as  at 
the  hour  when  it  was  completed. 

The  edifice,  which  is  of  white  marble,  a  material 
retaining  its  snow-like  purity  for  centuries  in  this 
climate,  is  embellished  with  domes,  colonnades,  tow- 
ers, and  all  the  pomp,  finish,  and  lavishness  of  Eastern 
architecture.  It  stands  upon  a  stone  platform  of  the 
same  material,  from  three  to  four  hundred  feet  square, 
to  reach  the  surface  of  which  one  ascends  about 
twenty  steps.     On  the  back  of  this  platform  runs  a 


THE  GEM  OF  INDIA,  217 

marble  balustrade  overlooking  the  Jumna.  On  each 
corner  of  the  terrace  is  a  marble  minaret  about  a 
hundred  and  forty  feet  in  height,  of  fine  proportions, 
like  four  sentinels  placed  there  to  guard  the  mauso- 
leum, which  forms  the  centre  of  the  platform.  Two 
mosques,  built  of  red  sandstone,  stand  between  these 
minarets,  one  on  the  east  and  one  on  the  west  side. 
The  height  of  the  Taj  from  the  base  to  the  top  of 
the  dome  must  be  very  nearly  or  quite  three  hundred 
feet.  The  principal  dome  in  itself  is  eighty  feet  high, 
and  of  such  exquisite  form  and  harmony  is  the  whole, 
that  it  seems  almost  to  float  in  the  atmosphere. 
Agate,  sapphire,  jasper,  and  other  precious  stones  are 
wrought  into  flowers,  and  inlaid  upon  the  polished 
marble,  the  work  having  employed  the  best  artists  for 
years.  In  the  centre  of  the  edifice,  beneath  the  glo- 
rious dome,  are  two  sarcophagi  covering  the  resting- 
place  of  the  emperor  and  his  wife,  whose  bodies  are 
in  the  vault  below.  How  appropriate  the  inscription 
at  the  threshold :  "  To  the  Memory  of  an  Undying 
Love."  On  the  surrounding  grounds  are  the  fragrant 
blossoms  of  nature ;  within  are  flower  -  wreaths  of 
mosaic  blooming  in  jasper,  carnelian,  and  lapis-lazuli, 
fresh  and  bright  as  when  they  came  from  the  artist's 
hand  centuries  ago.  As  we  stood  beneath  the  arched 
roof  of  the  cupola,  beside  the  pure  white  tombs  of 
glistening  marble,  a  verse  from  Longfellow's  "  Psalm 
of  Life  "  was  repeated  in  a  low  tone  of  voice.  In- 
stantly there  rolled  through  the  dimly-lighted  vault 
above  a  soft  and  solemn  repetition,  which  sounded  as 
though  voices  were  repeating  the  psalm  in  the  skies, 
with  such  music  and  pathos  as  to  dim  our  eyes  with 
tears.  The  delicate  echo  beneath  the  dome  of  the 
Taj,  just  above  where  sleep  the  royal  ashes,  is  one  of 
its  most  remarkable  and  thrilling  mysteries. 


218  DUE   WEST. 

This  superb  exposition  of  architectural  perfection 
was  visited  first  in  the  glow  of  sunrise,  again  in  the 
golden  haze  of  sunset,  and  once  under  the  fiery  blaze 
of  midday.  It  is  only  beneath  an  intensely  blue 
sky  that  one  can  realize  the  full  and  exquisite  effect 
of  pure  white  marble.  Nothing  finer  or  more  lovely 
in  architecture  exists  than  this  faultless  monument, 
this  ideal  of  Saracenic  art,  in  all  its  rich  harmony, 
erected  by  an  Indian  emperor  to  the  memory  of  his 
favorite  wife,  Mumtaz  Mahal,  which  signifies  the 
"  Chosen  of  the  Palace."  The  Taj  leaves  an  un- 
dying impression  of  beauty  on  all  beholders,  and 
certainly  in  this  instance  beauty  outvalues  utility. 
Shakespeare  might  well  have  written  of  sermons  in 
stones  had  he  seen  the  Taj.  The  marble  and  red 
sandstone  came  from  Rajpootana,  the  diamonds  and 
jaspers  from  the  Punjab,  the  carnelians  and  agates 
from  Tibet,  the  corals  from  Arabia,  the  sapphires  and 
other  precious  stones  from  Ceylon,  and  the  genius 
that  combined  them  all  came  from  Heaven.  Mad- 
ame de  Stael  never  saw  this  gem  of  India,  and  yet 
she  said  that  architecture  was  frozen  music.  Emer- 
son would  have  called  it  a  blossoming  in  stone. 

The  Palace  of  Akbar  is  within  the  famous  fort  of 
Agra,  a  couple  of  miles  from  the  Taj,  the  other  side 
of  the  Jumna,  a  structure  of  such  magnitude  as  to 
form  almost  a  city  within  itself,  measuring  two  miles 
around  its  walls.  These  walls,  over  fifty  feet  in 
height,  are  of  red  sandstone,  with  towers  at  intervals, 
and  a  deep  moat.  It  is  situated  on  the  banks  of  the 
river,  with  which  its  vaults  have  an  underground  com- 
munication. We  were  shown  one  dark  and  gloomy 
cellar  far  below  the  level  of  the  fort,  known  as  the 
execution  room,  where  the  criminals,  condemned  in 


THE   GROTTO  OF  GLASS.  219 

the  Judgment  Hall  above,  received  their  punishment. 
The  headsman's  block  was  still  there,  and  certain 
dark  stains  were  pointed  out  to  us  by  means  of  the 
candle  carried  by  the  guide,  which  told  their  own 
story.  In  the  centre  of  this  dreary  vault  was  a  well 
whose  water  was  level  with  the  river,  into  which  it 
opened  some  twenty  feet  from  the  surface,  and  into 
which  the  decapitated  bodies  of  the  criminals  were 
cast  and  left  to  float  away  with  the  ebb  and  flow  of 
the  Jumna's  tide.  The  bed  of  the  river  showed  that 
at  certain  seasons  it  must  be  at  least  half  a  mile  in 
width,  but  it  was  a  meagre  stream  when  we  crossed 
it  that  bright  and  sunny  February  day. 

The  royal  apartments  within  the  palace  are  being 
restored  at  present,  and  many  skilled  workmen  were 
busy  upon  the  frescoes,  inlaid  stone  work,  and  deli- 
cate marble  ornamentations,  while  we  were  there. 
The  Grotto  of  Glass,  as  the  principal  bath-room 
designed  for  the  use  of  the  harem  is  called,  was  a 
curious  and  luxurious  marble  room,  with  inviting 
pure  white  marble  tanks  large  enough  to  swim  in, 
and  surrounded  by  tiny  glass  mirrors  let  into  the 
walls  at  such  angles  as  to  reflect  a  figure  myriads  of 
times,  quite  distracting  to  look  upon.  All  depart- 
ments of  this  remarkable  royal  residence  are  ex- 
quisitely finished,  showing  no  less  of  refined,  artistic 
taste,  than  of  lavish  expenditure.  The  courts,  cham- 
bers, boudoirs,  fountains,  pavilions,  reception  halls, 
throne  room,  all  are  of  marble  and  mosaic,  with  beau- 
tiful inlaid  work  everywhere.  Many  of  the  floors 
represented  delicate  vines  and  blooming  flowers  in 
precious  stones,  like  the  modern  Florentine  mosaic 
work  one  sees  in  such  perfection  wrought  upon  tables 
at  the  shops  that  line  the  Arno  in  Florence.     The 


220  DUE   WEST. 

Jewel  Chamber,  and  the  suite  of  apartments  for- 
merly devoted  to  the  use  of  the  harem,  were  curiously 
screened  by  a  lattice  work  of  white  marble,  lace-like 
in  effect,  and  a  curiosity  in  itself.  Delicate  carving 
could  hardly  be  carried  to  more  minute  finish  in  ala- 
baster. The  marble  niches  and  pockets,  for  hold- 
ing the  jewelry  of  the  fair  occupants,  were  so  ar- 
ranged that  none  but  a  delicate  arm  could  reach  the 
treasures ;  a  man's  hand  and  wrist  would  be  too  large ; 
while  the  stone  pockets,  being  curved  at  the  bottom, 
required  the  long  sensitive  fingers  of  the  owner's  hand 
to  extract  what  they  contained. 

These  apartments  all  overlooked,  by  means  of  ex- 
quisite little  marble  balconies,  the  grand  valley  of 
the  Jumna,  through  which  the  river  may  be  traced 
for  miles ;  while  on  the  opposite  shore  there  lies  the 
glorious  Taj,  with  its  snow-white  domes  and  mina- 
rets looming  above  the  lovely  setting  of  cypresses, 
and  the  luxurious  vegetation  of  its  surrounding  gar- 
dens. Within  the  fort  is  also  the  Pearl  Mosque,  the 
rival  of  the  little  royal  temple  of  similar  character 
which  we  had  seen  at  Delhi.  The  front  of  this  Moli 
Musjed  is  supported  by  marble  pillars,  and  is  sur- 
mounted by  three  beautiful  marble  domes,  of  such 
perfection  and  loveliness  of  outline  as  to  be  the  puz- 
zle of  modern  architects,  just  as  our  best  sculptors  are 
nonplused  before  the  Venus  of  Milo,  and  some  other 
examples  of  Greek  art ;  they  may  imitate,  but  they 
cannot  hope  to  equal  them.  "Indeed,"  said  a  well- 
known  artist  to  us  in  the  gallery  of  the  Louvre,  in 
presence  of  this  marvelous  creation,  "the  sculptor 
himself,  were  he  living,  could  not  repeat  his  work. 
It  was  a  ray  of  inspiration  caught  from  Heaven." 
So  we  thought  of  the  Moli  Musjed. 


SECUNDRA.  221 

The  Tomb  of  Akbar  at  Secundra  was  visited,  a 
few  miles  from  Agra.  It  is  situated,  like  most  other 
Mogul  buildings  of  the  same  period,  in  a  large  in- 
closure  laid  out  as  a  beautiful  garden,  with  fountains, 
lakes,  statuary,  tamarind-trees,  oranges,  lemons,  among 
the  most  fragrant  flowers.  It  was  a  glorious  day  on 
which  we  drove  out  to  Secundra,  the  air  was  musical 
with  the  merry  notes  of  the  minos,  in  their  dusky 
red  plumage,  the  little  chirping  bee-eaters,  hoopoes, 
and  blue-jays.  Some  little  girls  freely  plucked  the 
abundant  rose-buds,  pinks,  lemon  verbenas,  and  ge- 
raniums, bringing  them  to  us  for  pennies,  instigated 
by  the  gardeners,  who  looked  on  approvingly.  This 
magnificent  tomb  would  be  a  seven  days'  wonder  in 
itself,  were  it  not  so  near  that  greater  charm  and 
marvel  of  loveliness,  the  Taj.  It  was  from  this  grand 
architectural  structure  that  the  Koh-i-noor  was  taken. 
The  spacious  grounds  form  one  of  the  finest  parks  in 
India,  art  having  seconded  the  kindly  purpose  of  na- 
ture in  a  favored  spot  where  vegetation  is  as  various 
as  it  is  luxuriant  and  beautiful. 

Our  hotel  at  Agra  was  one  of  the  most  comfortable 
and  American  -  like  which  can  be  found  in  India. 
The  scene  on  the  broad  piazza,  all  day  long,  was  cu- 
rious and  interesting,  forming  a  sort  of  open  bazar, 
where  every  establishment  in  the  place  had  a  rep- 
resentative and  samples  of  its  goods.  All  tourists 
are  presumed  to  have  come  to  purchase,  and  im- 
portunity is  a  part  of  the  natives'  business.  Pho- 
tographs, models  of  the  Taj,  precious  stones,  san- 
dal-wood boxes,  mosaics,  and  swords,  the  variety  is 
infinite,  the  patience  of  the  dealers  equally  inexhaus- 
tible. Nothing  but  absolute  force  could  drive  them 
away,  and  no  one  uses  that.     If  you  utterly  decline 


222  DUE   WEST. 

to  purchase  anything,  they  fold  their  hands  and  wait. 
The  most  curious  part  of  the  business,  if  you  pur- 
chase at  all,  is  the  elastic  character  of  the  prices, 
since  no  one  pretends  to  pay  that  which  is  first 
charged,  the  dealer  does  not  expect  it,  and  the  run- 
ning fire  of  barter,  chaffing,  and  cheapening  is  most 
laughable.  The  vendor  begins  by  asking  at  least 
double  what  he  will  finally  offer  his  goods  for,  and  in 
the  end  probably  gets  twice  their  intrinsic  value.  If 
one  of  the  natives  were  to  offer  his  articles  at  a  fixed 
and  reasonable  valuation,  he  would  be  mobbed  on  the 
spot  by  his  companions.  Dickering  is  the  poetry  of 
trade  to  a  Hindoo. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

From  Agra  to  Jeypore.  —  An  Independent  Province.  —  A  Unique  In- 
dian City.  —  Wild  Animals.  —  Elephant  Traveling.  —  Trapping 
Tigers.  —  A  Royal  Palace.  —  The  Harem.  —  Native  Rule.  —  Wild 
Monkeys  and  Peacocks.  —  Long  Journey  across  Country.  —  Bom- 
bay. —  The  Rival  of  Calcutta.  —  The  Parsees.  —  Towers  of  Silence. 
—  Feeding  the  Vultures.  —  A  Remarkable  Institution.  —  Island  of 
Elephanta.  —  Street  Jugglers.  —  Crossing  the  Sea  of  Arabia.  — 
The  Southern  Cross.  —  Aden.  —  Passage  up  the  Red  Sea.  — 
Landing  at  Suez.  —  Traveling  in  Egypt. 

If  the  reader  will  consult  the  map  of  India  it  will 
be  seen  that  few  regions  in  the  world  present  such  an 
array  of  remarkable  cities  as  have  sprung  up  and 
flourished  in  the  Ganges-Jumna  valley,  of  which  we 
are  now  writing.  Here  we  have  Agra,  Delhi,  Cawn- 
pore,  Lucknow,  Allahabad,  Benares,  Mirzapur,  Pat- 
na,  Decca,  and  Murshedabad.  What  historic  associ- 
ations arise  at  the  bare  mention  of  these  Indian  cities, 
each  one  of  which  affords  a  record  reaching  so  far 
down  the  corridors  of  the  past  as  to  fascinate  the 
archaeologist  by  its  very  mystery. 

We  left  Agra  regretfully;  one  would  like  more 
time  to  examine  and  become  familiar  with  all  its 
monuments,  and  yet  they  seem  as  deeply  impressed 
upon  the  memory  as  though  we  had  known  them  for 
years,  and  had  lived  long  in  their  midst.  The  Raj- 
pootana  State  Railway  was  taken  for  Jeypore,  sit- 
uated a  hundred  and  fifty  miles  from  Agra,  and 
justly  reputed  to  be  the  finest  native  city  in  the 
country :  in  many  respects  it  is  unique.     The  route 


224  DUE    WEST. 

thither  lay  through  a  very  level  country  of  great  fer- 
tility, showing  fine  crops  of  cereals,  with  frequent 
and  vivid  fields  of  yellow  mustard  in  full  bloom. 
Jeypore  is  the  capital  of  the  territory  belonging  to 
the  Maharajah  Mardozing,  whose  independent  pos- 
sessions are  just  about  the  size  of  the  State  of  Mas- 
sachusetts, the  British  not  having  "  annexed  "  this 
special  territory.  The  prince  is  a  middle-aged,  affa- 
ble, and  intelligent  person,  very  courteous  to  stran- 
gers, but  especially  so  to  Americans,  concerning  whose 
government  he  is  quite  inquisitive.  He  is  a  man 
of  more  than  ordinary  culture,  has  traveled  much,  is 
exceedingly  progressive  in  his  ideas,  and  seems  to 
command  the  respect  of  the  English,  and  of  all  who 
are  brought  within  his  circle. 

Jeypore  is  well  fortified,  and  the  prince  keeps  up  a 
modest  military  organization.  In  driving  about  the 
city  we  observed  long  rows  of  dwelling-houses,  rose- 
tinted,  with  pretty  verandas  and  latticed  windows, 
besides  numerous  large  and  well  -  arranged  public 
structures  devoted  to  educational  purposes ;  some  for 
teaching  music,  others  devoted  to  the  fine  arts,  and 
some  to  the  primary  branches  of  education,  such  as 
arithmetic,  geography,  etc.  We  were  told  that  sev- 
eral able  foreign  teachers  were  in  the  Maharajah's 
employment,  the  schools  all  being  free.  Among  the 
public  buildings  we  noticed  the  palace,  half  a  mile 
long,  and  eight  stories  high,  well  divided  into  courts, 
gardens,  and  public  halls.  In  one  of  the  latter  was 
being  held  an  extensive  fair  of  Indian  goods  and 
manufactures,  which  for  variety,  comprehensiveness, 
richness  of  the  articles,  and  judicious  arrangement, 
would  have  done  credit  to  any  European  city.  We 
noticed  a  public  mint,  an  observatory,  a  hospital, 


JEYPORE.  225 

and  a  large  arsenal.  All  these,  as  well  as  a  very- 
considerable  number  of  the  dwelling-houses,  bore  a 
certain  conspicuous  mark,  showing  them  to  belong 
to  the  Maharajah.  He  is  much  more  western  than 
eastern  in  his  ideas ;  more  ready  to  expend  his  large 
revenue  for  the  public  good  than  to  build  Peacock 
Thrones,  which  at  the  same  time  excite  the  marvel 
and  cupidity  of  the  world ;  and  so  this  very  present- 
able city,  in  the  heart  of  India,  is  a  mixture  of  Ori- 
entalism and  European  innovation,  the  streets  even 
being  lighted  by  gas.  Though,  to  speak  honestly, 
this  last  fact  seemed  a  trifle  out  of  place ;  wild  mon- 
keys and  crocodiles  in  the  environs,  and  gaslights  in 
the  streets ! 

Jeypore  is  a  beautiful  little  city,  and  ancient  withal, 
though  there  are  no  ruins  here ;  everything  gives  evi- 
dence of  present  prosperity,  peace,  and  abundance. 
The  houses  are  painted  in  a  toy-like  manner,  but  are 
neat  and  pretty.  Queer  little  canvas-covered,  two- 
wheeled  carts,  their  tops  shaped  like  half  an  egg- 
shell, and  drawn  by  a  single  bullock,  trot  about  the 
streets  in  a  very  lively  fashion,  some  of  them  closely 
curtained  containing  women  of  the  harem,  but  one 
sees  few  women  except  of  the  humble  class ;  Oriental 
exclusion  is  observed  here.  Under  this  prince's  seem- 
ingly wise  rule  the  population  exhibit  a  marked  and 
favorable  contrast  to  that  of  India  generally,  over 
which  the  authority  of  Great  Britain  extends.  There 
are  no  mud  cabins,  no  visible  want.  We  did  not  see 
a  beggar  in  all  Jeypore.  The  people  are  decently 
clothed,  and  well-lodged  in  nice-looking  houses,  most 
of  which  are  two  stories  high.  The  streets  are  excep- 
tionally broad  and  neatly  kept,  being  regularly  sprin- 
kled by  coolies  to  lay  the  dust,  though  in  a  primitive 

15 


226  DUE   WEST. 

manner.  These  fellows  carry  goat  skins,  filled  with 
water,  fastened  to  their  backs,  with  the  neck  com- 
ing forward  under  the  right  arm,  and  by  swinging 
the  nozzle  from  side  to  side  the  street  gets  a  uniform 
wetting.  This  same  mode  is  adopted  even  in  so  large 
a  city  as  Calcutta,  where  a  Yankee  watering-cart 
would  supersede  the  services  of  twenty-five  coolies 
who  are  thus  employed.  Many  fountains  ornament 
the  streets  of  Jeypore,  placed  in  the  centres  of  open 
squares.  The  expression  upon  the  faces  of  the  peo- 
ple is  that  of  smiling  content ;  in  short,  an  air  of 
thrift  pervades  everything.  All  this  was  in  such  de- 
cided contrast  to  those  portions  of  the  country  which 
we  had  visited  as  to  make  a  strong  impression,  and 
lead  to  some  deductions  not  entirely  favorable  to 
English  rule  in  India. 

In  speaking  of  this  subject  to  an  intelligent  Eng- 
lish resident,  he  replied  that  we  had  seen  an  excep- 
tional specimen  of  the  native  control  in  this  instance ; 
and  that  other  regions  of  India,  were  we  to  visit 
them,  would  present  a  very  different  state  of  affairs, 
all  of  which  may  be  true.  We  ventured  however, 
for  the  sake  of  argument,  to  question  the  justice  of 
the  tenure  by  which  England  held  possession  of 
India,  and  were  promptly  answered :  "  We  conquered 
this  territory  from  the  Mohammedan  invaders,  who 
were  ruling  it  with  a  rod  of  iron.  Our  coming  has 
been  and  is  a  deliverance.  We  did  not  even  over- 
throw the  Mohammedan  Empire.  That  was  done  by 
the  Mahrattas,  under  French  officers,  from  whom,  in 
1803,  we  rescued  the  Emperor,  whose  descendants  we 
have  ever  since  pensioned.  None  of  the  princes  and 
sultans  whom  we  have  deposed  were  hereditary  sov- 
ereigns.    They  were  actually  rebellious  viceroys  and 


TRAPPING  TIGERS.  227 

governors  who  had  assumed  their  position  during  the 
confusion  of  the  times.  In  short,  that  our  rule  is 
a  blessing  to  India,  to-day,  does  not  admit  of  an 
argument."  We  frankly  acknowledged  very  modi- 
fied feelings  upon  the  subject  since  arriving  in  the 
country. 

Wild  animals  are  abundant  in  the  neighborhood, 
the  tiger  especially  being  hunted  and  feared,  and  not 
without  abundant  reason  ;  for  here,  as  at  Singapore, 
men,  women,  and  children  are  daily  sacrificed  to  their 
rapacious  appetites  in  some  part  of  the  district.  It 
is  said  to  be  a  fact  that  these  animals,  in  their  wild 
state,  having  once  tasted  human  flesh,  will  be  satis- 
fied with  no  other  food ;  but  will  leave  the  antelope 
and  smaller  game,  known  to  be  comparatively  plenty 
in  the  neighborhood  of  the  jungle,  and  lie  in  wait 
for  days  to  capture  human  prey,  even  stealing  at 
night  within  the  precincts  of  the  villages,  and  among 
the  native  huts.  They  exhibit  great  cunning  in  their 
attacks,  rarely  showing  themselves  when  there  is 
more  than  one  person  present,  and  never  doing  so 
where  there  are  numbers,  except  when  driven  in  the 
hunt.  Instinct  teaches  them  that  on\?  individual 
may  be  overcome,  but  that  two  or  three  are  capable 
of  victoriously  defending  themselves.  The  natives 
set  ingenious  traps  for  the  tigers,  and  many  are  cap- 
tured, for  which  they  receive  a  bounty.  The  usual 
trap  is  formed  by  digging  a  well  in  the  earth,  ten 
feet  square  and  fifteen  feet  or  more  in  depth,  wider  at 
the  bottom  than  the  top.  This  is  ingeniously  covered 
with  light  branches  and  leaves,  and  located  in  the 
path  where  a  tiger  has  been  tracked.  For  some 
reason  this  animal,  having  once  passed  through  a 
jungle,  will  ever  after  follow  as  nearly  as  possible  his 


228  DUE   WEST, 

own  foot-prints,  and  can  thus  easily  be  led  into  a 
pitfall  of  the  character  we  have  described.  Having 
once  got  into  this  well  he  cannot  possibly  get  out, 
and  here  he  is  permitted  to  become  so  nearly  starved 
as  to  deprive  him  of  all  powers  of  resistance,  in 
which  condition  he  is  secured.  A  little  food  and  wa- 
ter soon  restores  him  to  his  normal  condition,  when 
he  finds  himself  a  prisoner  in  a  stout  cage,  behind 
strong  iron  bars.  For  a  few  days  after  his  capture 
the  animal's  rage  knows  no  bounds,  and  his  struggles 
to  free  himself  are  ceaseless,  sometimes  even  ending 
in  self-inflicted  death  by  dashing  himself  head  fore- 
most upon  the  bars.  If  not  an  old  animal,  he,  how- 
ever, generally  subsides  into  sullen  acceptance  of  the 
situation  after  a  day  or  two. 

We  were  shown  half  a  dozen  lately  taken  and 
confined  separately  in  strong  cages  in  one  of  the  open 
squares  of  the  city.  Two  of  them  had  a  very  bad 
record,  and  were  real  man-eaters,  having  a  score  or 
more  of  coolies  charged  to  their  account.  These 
were  all  condemned  to  be  killed,  as  they  proved  to  be 
too  old  to  sell  for  exhibition  in  the  European  mar- 
kets, but  the  young  ones  are  often  thus  disposed  of. 
A  tiger,  one  or  even  two  years  old,  can  be  tamed  and 
rendered  quite  docile  for  menagerie  purposes;  but 
when  taken  wild  at  an  age  exceeding  these  figures 
they  are  never  quite  safe.  Those  which  we  saw  in 
the  square  at  Jeypore  were  splendid  specimens  of 
their  race,  full  of  fire  and  rage,  chafing  at  their  im- 
prisonment, and  springing  violently  against  the  iron 
bars  of  their  cages  at  every  one  who  approached 
them.  They  were  quite  unlike  the  poor  beasts  of 
the  menageries,  who  have  had  all  their  spirit  and 
savage  instincts  subdued  by  confinement. 


SUMMER  PALACE   OF  AMBAR.  229 

Having  obtained  the  necessary  permit  to  visit  the 
royal  summer  palace  of  Ambar,  a  few  miles  from  the 
city  walls,  among  the  picturesque  hills,  elephants, 
belonging  to  the  Maharajah  were  sent  for  us,  and  we 
mounted  them,  the  animals  kneeling  at  the  word  of 
command  for  us  to  do  so.  Our  party,  six  in  number, 
was  divided  so  that  four  persons,  including  the  driver, 
rode  on  each  elephant.  They  were  large  and  docile 
creatures,  being  respectively  seventy  and  ninety  years 
of  age.  Their  shuffling,  flat-footed  tread  is  peculiar, 
but  not  very  unpleasant,  except  when  the  driver 
hurries  the  animals;  but  even  then  the  gait  is  not 
nearly  so  trying  to  the  rider  as  is  that  of  the  camel, 
which  is  only  comparable  to  a  Cunarder  pitching  in 
a  head  sea.  The  elephants  seem  to  be  very  easily 
controlled  by  the  driver,  who,  however,  is  armed  with 
a  steel-pointed  weapon  which  he  resorts  to  freely  if 
his  directions  are  not  obeyed,  and  the  animal  evi- 
dently stands  in  mortal  dread  of  the  instrument.  All 
classes  of  the  people  ride  upon  the  camel  here,  from 
the  prince  to  the  peddler ;  but  the  elephant  is  only 
in  common  use  among  the  nabobs  and  members  of 
the  royal  household,  officers  of  state,  and  the  like. 
It  costs  as  much  to  keep  and  support  an  elephant  as 
it  does  to  maintain  eight  horses  or  ten  camels,  the 
latter  animal  thriving  on  cheap  food. 

A  visit  to  the  summer  palace  was  very  interesting, 
the  local  guide  pointing  out  every  object  of  note,  and 
explaining  all  clearly.  That  part  of  the  spacious 
buildings  reserved  for  the  harem  was  simply  perfec- 
tion, in  point  of  luxury,  as  conceived  from  an  Ori- 
ental stand-point.  The  audience  rooms,  the  throne 
room,  the  domestic  living  rooms,  and  the  various  of- 
fices of  the  palace,  were  large  and  admirably  ar- 


230  DUE   WEST. 

ranged,  furnished  in  the  Eastern  fashion.  The  white 
marble  work  was  everywhere  exquisite  in  its  finish, 
and,  wherever  it  was  possible,  superseded  the  use 
of  wood.  The  windows,  opening  from  all  the  gen- 
eral apartments,  afforded  views  across  the  hills,  val- 
leys, and  lakes  of  the  city  of  Jeypore,  two  or  three 
leagues  away.  The  group  of  the  harem  apartments, 
as  usual,  all  opened  inward,  upon  an  area  where 
grew  orange,  lemon,  and  fig-trees,  full  of  fruit,  also 
pomegranates  and  trailing  vines,  gracefully  arranged. 
There  were  many  varieties  of  flowers  in  bloom  be- 
sides roses,  which  we  strongly  suspected  came  from 
afar.  They  were  too  familiar,  those  tea,  damask, 
Jaqueminot,  Marshal  Niel,  and  moss  roses.  The  in- 
digenous ones  were  not  nearly  so  full  in  leaf  or  pure 
in  color,  nor  so  fragrant  or  beautiful.  The  spacious 
marble  bath  was  also  in  an  open  area,  or  court,  shut 
in  from  all  eyes  save  those  of  the  denizens  them- 
selves, and  of  such  depth  and  size  as  to  admit  of 
swimming.  This  tiny  lake  was  bordered  by  thick 
growing  myrtles,  and  a  shrub  with  a  dagger -like 
leaf,  bearing  a  trumpet  -  shaped  flower,  snow  white, 
but  unknown  to  us,  seemingly  of  the  convolvulus 
genus.  The  dark  winding  labyrinths  and  passages 
from  one  part  of  the  Ambar  Palace  to  another  were 
utterly  confusing,  and  of  a  nature  designed  to  mys- 
tify any  one  but  an  habitu^.  When  the  palace  has 
its  summer  complement  of  residents,  servants  and 
all,  it  must  contain  some  three  hundred  souls,  besides 
the  soldiery,  who  occupy  the  barracks  outside  to 
guard  the  entrances.  It  is  a  fort  as  well  as  a  palace, 
and  so  arranged  as  to  form  a  citadel  capable  of  sus- 
taining a  siege,  if  necessary ;  while  its  lofty  and  com- 
manding situation  is  such,  that  it  could  not  be  taken 


RIDING  ON  ELEPHANTS.  281 

by  an  attacking  force  without  great  loss  of  life  on 
their  part.  We  were  shown  in  the  basement  a  sin- 
gular shrine  or  temple,  before  which  was  a  large,  flat 
stone,  where  daily  sacrifices  of  a  sheep  or  goat  is 
made  by  the  priests.  In  the  olden  time  human  sac- 
rifices took  place  on  the  stone,  according  to  the  guide. 
Fresh  signs  showed  that  the  ceremony  of  blood  spill- 
ing had  lately  taken  place,  and,  on  inquiry,  we  were 
told  that  the  carcass  was  given  as  food  to  the  poor, 
which  was  certainly  one  feature  of  the  practice  quite 
commendable. 

When  at  last  we  mounted  the  elephants  to  again 
return  to  the  city,  it  was  past  meridian,  but  so  pow- 
erful was  the  heat  of  the  sun  that  we  could  hardly 
have  sustained  it  without  the  protection  of  umbrellas, 
and  thought  if  this  was  winter  weather  in  India  what 
must  midsummer  be  ?  Though  so  much  further  north 
of  the  equator  than  Ceylon,  the  heat  seemed  nearly 
as  great,  and  even  more  insupportable.  There  was  a 
certain  moisture  and  softness  about  the  high  temper- 
ature at  Colombo,  which  we  had  experienced  a  month 
before  ;  while  here  there  was  a  dry,  burning  directness 
of  the  sun's  power  which  was  absolutely  withering. 
As  we  passed  over  the  road,  swayed  hither  and  thither 
upon  the  backs  of  the  huge  animals,  it  was  amusing 
to  watch  the  gambols  of  the  wild  monkeys  in  the 
trees,  and  to  observe  the  flocks  of  wild  peacocks  in 
the  open  fields,  both  monkeys  and  peacocks  being 
held  sacred.  There  were  tall  cranes  wading  on  the 
edges  of  the  ponds,  with  other  queer  -  legged,  odd 
water-fowls  strutting  through  the  mud.  The  croco- 
diles were  seen  sunning  themselves  on  the  river's 
bank,  watching  for  an  Indian  child  or  dog  to  devour. 
Fancy  colored  parrots  were  plenty;  and  when  we 


232  DUE  WEST. 

got  within  the  city  gates,  we  met  such  dense  flocks 
of  tame  pigeons,  of  various  colors,  as  could  not  be 
equaled  elsewhere.  They  were  of  several  species, 
well-defined  :  fan-tailed,  bloaters,  divers,  etc.,  some 
pure  white,  some  mottled,  and  some  as  blue  as  the 
sky.  Like  those  at  Venice,  they  are  protected  by 
law.  Indeed  all  animal  life  is  spared,  from  religious 
convictions,  except  such  as  is  brought  to  the  altar. 
We  finally  got  safely  back  to  our  quarters,  at  the 
Kaiser-i-Hind  Hotel,  far  too  well  pleased  with  our 
trip  to  Ambar  to  cavil  at  a  most  indifferent  dinner. 

There  are  many  native  princes  who  govern  states 
in  India,  as  is  the  case  at  Jeypore ;  but  they  do  so 
under  sufferance,  as  it  were,  acknowledging  their 
"  subordinate  dependence "  to  the  British  govern- 
ment. They  form  a  body  of  feudatory  rulers,  pos- 
sessing revenue  and  armies  of  their  own.  There  is 
always  a  British  "Resident"  at  their  courts,  who  acts 
as  an  adviser,  as  it  is  termed,  but  who  is,  in  plain 
English,  a  sort  of  acknowledged  and  permitted  spy. 
These  princes  are  not  allowed  to  make  war  upon  each 
other,  or  to  form  alliances  with  foreign  states ;  and, 
upon  the  whole,  all  things  considered,  it  is  perhaps 
the  best  possible  arrangement  for  the  princes  and  for 
their  subjects.  England  does  not  hesitate  to  inter- 
fere if  a  prince  is  guilty  of  any  decided  mismanage- 
ment, protecting  the  weak,  and  imposing  peace.  We 
were  informed  that  the  power  of  life  and  death,  in 
single  cases,  rests  with  the  Maharajah  of  Jeypore,  as 
well  as  with  the  rest  of  the  native  rulers.  Thus  one 
third  of  India,  embracing  a  population  of  between 
fifty  and  sixty  millions  of  people,  is  still  under  nar 
tive  rule. 

From  Jeypore  to  Bombay  is  a  distance  of  seven 


POPPY  FIELDS  OF  SOUTHERN  INDIA.    233 

hundred  miles,  a  journey  which  we  were  three  days 
and  nights  in  performing.  Most  of  the  route  lay 
through  a  sparsely-populated  country,  very  similar  in 
character  to  the  sections  already  described,  —  the 
greater  part  of  India  being  an  immense  plain.  It 
was  curious  on  this  route  to  observe  that  all  the  rail- 
road station-houses  were  built  with  white  domes  like 
mosques,  a  fancy  which  was  also  carried  into  practice 
upon  many  of  the  better  class  of  village  houses  ;  the 
effect,  however,  was  far  from  pleasing  to  the  eye. 
Now  and  then  a  few  antelopes  were  seen ;  they  would 
gaze  fixedly  at  the  train  for  a  moment,  then  turn  and 
spring  away  in  immense  bounds.  Now  a  lynx  and 
now  a  fox  would  put  in  an  appearance  in  the  early 
morning,  in  the  lonely  district  through  which  we 
passed,  generally  at  a  wholesome  distance  from  the 
cars.  We  were  up  and  watchful ;  there  is  not  much 
sleep  to  be  obtained  on  the  cars  in  India ;  besides,  one 
does  not  wish  to  lose  the  crisp  freshness  of  the  dawn. 
Before  the  sun  fairly  rises  the  temperature  was  a  little 
chilly,  but  directly  its  power  was  felt,  and  it  got  fairly 
started  upon  its  diurnal  path,  there  was  a  change  of 
thirty  or  forty  degrees,  and  then  —  it  is  impossible 
to  describe  how  the  golden  sunlight  flooded  the 
plains.  Small  game  of  various  species  was  frequently 
seen  in  the  fields  and  hedges ;  kingfishers,  kites,  and 
hawks  put  in  an  appearance,  and  a  tall  bird  standing 
four  feet  high  was  pointed  out  to  us,  called  a  sarus, 
gray  in  color,  and  of  the  stork  family.  The  pretty 
Indian  blue  jay  seemed  omnipresent. 

As  we  got  further  southward  we  came  upon  the 
great  poppy  fields,  cultivated  for  opium,  which  formed 
a  remarkable  feature  in  the  landscape.  They  were 
scarlet  in  color,  mingled  occasionally  with  pink.    In 


234  DUE    WEST. 

other  parts  of  the  country  we  had  seen  the  beautiful, 
though  baleful,  fields  of  poppies,  dressed  in  bridal 
white.  The  effect  of  either  is  very  fine  when  the 
eye  measures  the  singular  display  by  miles  in  extent, 
the  rich,  glutinous  flowers  nodding  gracefully  in  the 
gentle  breeze.  We  were  told  that  from  six  to  seven 
hundred  thousand  acres  of  land,  mostly  in  the  valley 
of  the  Ganges,  were  devoted  to  the  poppy  culture.  A 
large  share  of  these  opium  farms,  as  they  may  be 
called,  belong  to  the  English  government,  and  are 
cultivated  by  their  agents.  Those  which  are  con- 
ducted on  private  account  are  very  heavily  taxed,  and 
are  carried  on  in  the  interest  of  the  Parsee  merchants 
of  Bombay,  who  control  a  large  share  of  the  opium 
trade,  handling  not  only  their  own  product,  but  also 
that  of  the  government. 

Oftentimes,  near  these  gorgeous  poppy  fields  were 
broad  ripening  acres  of  grain,  which  would  have  been 
denuded  of  their  valuable  property  by  the  great  flocks 
of  birds  floating  hither  and  thither,  were  it  not  that 
precautions  were  taken  to  drive  them  away.  A  tall 
platform  is  raised  upon  poles  in  the  centre  of  the  field, 
with  a  slight  straw  shelter  over  it,  upon  which  a 
young  lad  or  girl  is  stationed,  who  thus  overlooks  the 
whole.  They  have  no  fire-arms,  but  are  supplied  with 
a  simple  sling  and  a  few  stones ;  should  a  bird  be  seen 
too  close  to  the  precious  grain,  an  unerring  stone  will 
find  him,  and  his  body  becomes  a  warning  for  his  com- 
panions. The  monkeys,  who  abound  in  southern  In- 
dia, are  not  so  easily  got  rid  of.  Birds  will  not  fly 
after  dark,  nor  much  before  the  sun  rises  in  the  morn- 
ing; but  the  monkeys  raid  the  fruit  and  vegetable 
fields  by  night,  and  are  capable  of  organizing  a  de- 
scent upon  some  promising  point  with  all  the  fore- 


THE  PARSEES   OF  BOMBAY.  235 

thought  of  human  thieves.  Besides  which,  birds,  as  a 
rule,  will  take  only  such  food  as  they  can  eat,  but  the 
Indian  monkeys  appropriate  whatever  they  can  lay 
their  paws  upon,  having  a  special  regard  for  light 
domestic  articles,  with  which  they  have  a  fancy  for 
decking  the  tops  of  the  highest  trees. 

While  Calcutta  is  the  governmental  or  political 
capital  of  India,  Bombay  is  its  commercial  metropo- 
lis ;  and  an  obvious  sense  of  rivalry  exists  between 
the  two  places.  The  opening  of  communication  with 
England  by  the  Red  Sea  route  has  given  the  latter 
city  a  great  business  impetus,  and  it  is  growing  rap- 
idly, possessing  more  elements  of  future  greatness 
than  any  other  city  in  Asia.  It  forms  the  western 
gateway  to  India,  is  entirely  modern,  and  three  quar- 
ters European.  The  Parsees,  Hindoos,  and  Mussul- 
mans make  up  the  other  quarter  of  the  fixed  popula- 
tion, while  the  floating  populace  represents  nearly 
every  Asiatic  people.  These  two  principal  cities  are 
located  on  the  opposite  sides  of  the  peninsula,  Cal- 
cutta being  on  the  Bay  of  Bengal  and  Bombay  on  the 
Sea  of  Arabia.  The  Parsees  number  over  a  hundred 
thousand,  and  represent  a  large  portion  of  the  wealth 
of  the  city,  being  also  by  far  the  most  intelligent 
and  enterprising  natives  of  India.  They  sympathize 
entirely  with  the  English  government,  which  gives 
them  freedom  of  opinion  and  protection  for  life  and 
property,  neither  of  which  could  be  assured  under 
native  auspices.  They  keep  entirely  aloof,  socially, 
from  other  races,  and  strictly  preserve  their  well-de- 
fined individuality.  Their  dress  is  peculiar,  partly 
Oriental,  partly  European,  and  they  are  still  like 
their  fathers,  after  thousands  of  years,  the  consistent 
followers  of  Zoroaster, 


236  DUE   WEST. 

The  Parsees  settled  here  more  than  eight  centuries 
ago,  after  their  expulsion  from  Persia.  Their  temples 
contain  no  images,  nothing  but  the  altar  bearing  the 
sacred  fire,  which  their  fathers  brought  with  them 
when  they  landed  here  so  long  ago,  and  which  has 
never  for  one  instant  been  extinguished.  They  wor- 
ship the  sun  as  the  representative  of  God,  and  fire  in 
all  its  forms,  as  well  as  the  ocean,  which  would  seem 
to  be  an  antagonistic  agent;  but  as  their  religion 
recognizes  one  Good  and  one  Evil  Principle,  who  are 
ever  contending  for  the  mastery  of  the  universe,  per- 
haps these  emblems  are  no  paradox.  One  of  the  first 
places  we  visited  in  Bombay  was  Malabar  Hill,  a 
lofty  piece  of  ground  just  outside  of  the  city,  upon 
the  apex  of  which  are  the  five  famous  "Towers  of 
Silence,"  constituting  the  cemetery  of  the  Parsees. 
Beautiful  gardens,  kept  ever  in  bloom  and  loveliness 
by  the  most  assiduous  care,  surround  these  towers, 
which  are  the  subjects  of  such  sad  associations.  The 
oldest  of  these  structures  is  between  two  and  three 
centuries  in  age,  and  one  is  solely  designed  for  the 
bodies  of  criminals  whose  bones  are  not  permitted  to 
mingle  with  those  of  the  just.  When  a  death  occurs 
among  the  Parsees,  the  body  is  brought  here  to  a 
small  temple,  containing  the  sacred  fire,  within  the 
grounds.  Here  a  certain  formula  is  gone  through, 
with,  and  a  solemn  chant  without  words  is  performed 
by  the  assembled  mourners.  Presently  the  corpse  is 
carried  upon  a  stretcher  through  a  door  of  one  of  the 
towers,  and  is  placed  upon  a  grating  raised  a  few  feet 
from  the  ground,  where  it  is  completely  exposed. 
The  bearers  instantly  retire,  the  door  is  closed  and 
locked.  These  towers  are  open  at  the  top,  on  the 
cornice  of  which  hundreds  of  vultures  are  always 


THE  ''TOWERS  OF  SILENCE.''  237 

waiting  in  full  view  of  every  one,  and  as  soon  as  the 
body  is  left  they  swoop  down  to  their  awful  meal, 
eagerly  tearing  and  devouring  the  flesh,  absolutely 
picking  it  clean  from  the  bones,  which  fall  into  a 
space  below  in  an  indiscriminate  mass,  to  be  decom- 
posed by  time  and  the  elements.  The  hideous  de- 
tail of  the  scene  is  not  visible  to  the  spectators,  but 
the  reappearance  of  these  terrible  birds  of  prey  upon 
the  walls,  an  hour  later,  in  a  gorged  condition,  is  only 
too  significant  of  what  has  transpired  within  the  silent 
and  gloomy  inclosure. 

During  a  subsequent  early-morning  walk  the  writer 
observed  a  funeral  procession  on  its  way  towards  Mal- 
abar Hill,  and  followed  it  .to  the  Towers.  For  a  mo- 
ment after  arriving  there  the  face  of  the  corpse  was 
exposed,  showing  the  marble  features  of  a  young  girl 
of  some  fifteen  years,  wearing  upon  her  pale  face 
an  expression  of  seraphic  loveliness.  The  body  was 
covered  with  a  snow-white  sheet,  exhibiting  the  out- 
line of  a  beautiful,  budding  form  suddenly  snatched 
from  life.  Over  and  around  the  body  were  white 
buds  and  half-blown  pale  flowers,  indicative  of  youth, 
recalling  to  mind  a  similar  experience  on  the  banks 
of  the  Ganges.  There  was  no  apparent  want  of  sen- 
timent and  tenderness  here.  As  soon  as  the  brief 
ceremony  was  over  the  beautiful  remains,  lovely  even 
in  death,  were  deposited  in  the  nearest  tower,  the 
door  was  closed  and  the  bearers  retired.  Down 
swooped  the  ravenous  birds  to  their  terrible  banquet, 
as  we  turned  away  with  a  shudder.  The  devouring 
flames  that  wreathed  about  the  child-corpse  at  Ben- 
ares did  not  seem  to  us  so  shocking  as  this. 

Seeing  an  intelligent  Parsee,  who  had  evidently 
been  watching  us,  we  asked :  "  How  can  you  recon« 


288  DUE   WEST, 

cile  to  your  feelings  such  disposal  as  that  of  the  re- 
mains of  a  tenderly  beloved  child  ?  "  "  What  do  you 
do  with  your  dead  ?  "  he  asked.  "  We  bury  them  in 
the  earth."  "  Yes,"  he  continued,  "  for  the  worms  to 
eat.  And  if  there  is  death  at  sea  you  sink  the  body 
in  the  ocean  to  be  consumed  by  the  sharks.  We  pre- 
fer to  give  our  dead  to  the  birds  of  the  air."  We 
were  certainly  answered,  though  not  convinced,  as  to 
the  propriety  of  the  awful  scene  just  enacted.  Per- 
haps, after  all,  it  makes  but  little  difference  what  be- 
comes of  these  tenements  of  clay.  The  Parsee  feeds 
the  vultures  with  his  dead,  the  devout  Hindoo  burns 
the  body,  and  the  professed  Christian  gives  his  to  the 
worms  and  to  the  sharks.  Still  as  we  came  down 
Malabar  Hill  that  morning,  and  saw  the  hideous  car- 
rion birds,  gorged  and  sleepy,  roosting  upon  the  walls 
of  the  cemetery,  a  sense  of  nausea  came  over  us  quite 
uncontrollable. 

Bombay  is  made  up  of  fine  public  buildings,  sump- 
tuous bungalows,  and  low  hovels,  not  absolutely  com- 
bined, each  class  being  found  in  clusters  about  its 
special  locality,  but  all  going  to  make  up  the  aggre- 
gate figure  of  the  population.  That  the  numbers 
should  reach  the  round  total  of  a  million  of  people 
was  a  surprise.  In  the  European  cities  we  see  the 
palace  and  the  hovel,  wealth  and  poverty,  every- 
where jostling  each  other.  In  Florence,  Rome,  or 
Naples  a  half-starved  cobbler's  stall  may  nestle  be- 
neath a  palace,  or  a  vendor  of  roast  chestnuts  may 
have  established  himself  there.  In  Bombay  a  sense 
of  propriety  and  fitness  has  assorted  and  adjusted 
these  matters.  Still  poverty  and  riches  are  never  far 
apart  in  the  world,  even  as  joy  and  grief  are  inevita- 
ble neighbors.     There  cannot  be  strong  light  without 


BEAUTIFUL  ENVIRONS.  239 

shade  near  at  hand.  Excellent  order  and  neatness 
are  maintained,  and  well-disciplined  policemen  are 
seen  at  every  corner.  The  municipality  is  partly 
elective  and  partly  nominative,  the  majority  of  the 
officials  being  of  native  birth,  and  so  far  as  a  casual 
visitor  may  judge,  affairs  are  managed  economically 
and  judiciously.  In  the  neighborhood  of  Elphinstone 
Circle  and  the  Esplanade,  the  city  will  compare  fa- 
vorably with  any  modern  European  capital,  both  in 
the  size  and  style  of  the  public  and  private  buildings, 
as  well  as  in  the  broad,  liberal  squares  and  thorough- 
fares, ornamented  with  statuary  and  fountains. 

A  drive  in  the  environs  of  Bombay,  around  the 
base  of  Malabar  Hill  and  along  the  picturesque  shore 
of  the  Arabian  Sea,  is  an  experience  never  to  be  for- 
gotten by  one  who  has  enjoyed  its  pleasure.  It  will 
be  sure  to  recall  to  the  traveler  the  almost  unrivaled 
environs  of  Genoa,  with  those  winding,  rock-cut  roads 
overlooking  the  Mediterranean  Sea.  Here  the  roads 
are  admirable,  cool,  and  half-embowered  in  foliage, 
amid  which  the  crimson  sagittaria,  flaunting  its  fiery 
leaves  and  ponderous  blossoms  everywhere,  meets  the 
eye.  About  the  fine  villas,  which  are  set  back  a  short 
distance  from  the  road,  delightful  gardens  were  to  be 
seen  of  choice  flowers,  tastefully  arranged,  compris- 
ing an  abundance  of  tropical  plants,  tall  palms  lining 
the  drive-way  up  to  the  houses  where  the  merchant 
princes  dwell.  The  broad  public  roads  were  lined 
with  oleanders,  magnolias,  laburnums,  jasmines,  or- 
ange and  lemon-trees ;  and  there  were  honeysuckles, 
white,  scarlet,  yellow;  and  tiger-lilies  of  marvelous 
size,  each  leaf  looking  as  if  it  were  a  butterfly,  and 
the  whole  flower  forming  a  group  of  them  lit  upon  a 
stem.     Urns,  from  which  drooped  variegated  flowers, 


240  DUE   WEST. 

relieved  by  wreat\iiiig  smilax,  ornamented  the  posts 
of  gates,  and  lined  the  smooth,  white  graveled  paths 
about  the  verandas  of  these  surburban  palaces  in 
miniature.  The  flora  of  our  best  kept  green-houses 
here  bloomed  out  of  doors  in  wild  luxuriance,  but  not 
a  familiar  tree  was  to  be  seen.  In  place  of  elms,  ma- 
ples, pines,  and  oaks,  there  were  tall,  slender  palms, 
fig-trees,  mangoes,  and  whole  groves  of  bananas 
bending  under  the  weight  of  the  long,  finger-like 
fruit.  Verily,  these  Parsees,  in  spite  of  their  bigotry 
and  their  adherence  to  ancient  superstitions,  know 
how  to  make  their  homes  beautiful. 

There  was  one  institution  visited  in  Bombay  which 
is,  so  far  as  we  know,  unique,  commending  itself  how- 
ever, to  every  philanthropist,  namely.  An  Asylum 
for  Aged  and  Decrepit  Animals.  Here  were  found 
birds  and  beasts  suffering  under  various  afflictions, 
carefully  tended  and  nursed  as  human  beings  are  in 
a  well-regulated  hospital.  The  origin  of  the  estab- 
lishment was  due  to  a  philanthropic  native  who  some 
years  ago  left  a  large  sum  of  money,  on  his  decease, 
for  this  purpose,  so  thoroughly  in  accordance  with  his 
religious  convictions.  Within  the  last  ten  years  sev- 
eral liberal  endowments  have  been  added,  all  by 
natives,  until  the  institution  is  now  self-supporting. 
We  were  told  of  a  new  bequest,  just  added,  which 
would  enable  the  trustees  to  enlarge  certain  premises. 
Liberal  visitors  are  also  frequently  inclined  to  leave 
a  few  dollars  to  encourage  so  worthy  an  institution. 
Bullocks,  cows,  dogs,  and  cats,  otherwise  homeless, 
here  find  good  care,  food,  and  shelter.  The  yard  and 
buildings  cover  about  two  acres  of  ground,  where  the 
animals  are  only  so  far  confined  as  to  insure  their 
own  comfort  and  safety.     None  of  them   are  evei 


HOSPITAL  FOR  INVALID  ANIMALS.       241 

killed,  but  are  well  cared  for  until  Nature  herself 
closes  the  scene  for  them.  One  horse,  which  we  no- 
ticed, was  swung  by  belly  straps  so  that  his  hind  feet 
were  quite  off  the  floor ;  a  case,  as  was  explained, 
where  one  of  his  hind  legs  had  been  broken,  but 
which  had  now  so  nearly  healed  that  the  animal 
would  be  able  to  stand  once  more  upon  his  feet  — 
not  to  work,  but  to  live  out  his  alloted  days  in  peace. 
In  America,  or  indeed  nearly  anywhere  else,  a  horse 
with  a  broken  leg  is  at  once  deprived  of  life.  All 
through  the  East,  but  especially  in  India,  there  is,  as 
a  rule,  a  kind  consideration  for  animals  that  is  in 
marked  contrast  to  the  treatment  they  so  often  re- 
ceive in  what  we  term  more  civilized  countries.  Un- 
der the  plea  of  humanity  we  take  the  life  of  most  ailing 
animals  in  the  "Western  world,  but  not  so  in  Bombay. 
Horses,  donkeys,  cows,  cats,  dogs,  and  monkeys,  sick 
or  injured  by  accident,  will  be  at  once  taken  into 
this  establishment,  on  application,  and  kindly  cared 
for,  free  of  all  expense,  until  natural  death  ensues. 

A  visit  to  the  Island  of  Elephanta,  in  the  outer 
harbor  of  Bombay,  situated  about  ten  miles  from  the 
city,  will  afford  all  strangers  much  gratification.  A 
small  excursion  steamer,  tug-boat  size,  was  chartered 
for  our  purpose,  and  with  a  favoring  current  took  us 
down  to  the  island  in  an  hour,  but  was  twice  as  long 
in  working  her  way  back  against  the  tide.  It  was 
quite  a  picnic  affair,  our  refreshments  being  taken 
with  us  from  the  hotel,  and  a  nice  table  spread  on 
board  the  little  boat,  where  we  lunched  with  that  best 
of  sauce,  a  good  appetite.  This  famous  island  is 
about  six  miles  in  circumference,  covered  with  a  thick 
undergrowth  of  bushes  and  some  fine  specimens  of 
tropical  trees.     It  derives  its  name  from  a  colossal 

16 


242  DUE   WEST, 

stone  elephant  which  once  stood  near  the  present 
landing,  and  formed  a  conspicuous  object  visible  far 
away.  This  monument  was  thrown  down  many 
vyears  ago  by  some  convulsion  of  nature,  and  now  lies 
overgrown  by  vines  and  bushes,  hidden  beneath  tam- 
arind and  banana-trees.  As  the  shore  is  shelving, 
the  depth  of  water  will  not  permit  boats  to  approach 
very  near ;  so  that  the  landing  is  made  over  a  series 
of  large,  deep-sunken  stepping-stones,  rather  slippery 
and  dangerous  for  one  without  a  cool  head.  After 
having  landed  there  is  still  nearly  a  thousand  irregu- 
lar steps  to  ascend  before  reaching  the  plateau,  where 
the  mouth  of  the  famous  temple  is  entered. 

We  found  this  cave  temple  with  its  front  half  hid- 
den by  a  wild  growth  of  luxuriant  vines  and  foliage. 
The  cavity  is  hewn  out  of  the  solid  rock,  extending 
nearly  two  hundred  feet  directly  into  the  hill-side. 
It  was  strange  and  incongruous  in  aspect,  —  a  sort 
of  conglomeration  of  sensualism,  religious  ideas,  and 
Buddhist  idols.  Most  of  the  school  geographies  of 
our  childhood  depict  this  entrance  of  the  Cave  of  Ele- 
phanta,  supported  by  carved  pillars,  hewn  out  of  the 
rock  just  where  they  stand,  part  and  parcel  of  it. 
The  roof  is  supported  by  many  carved  pillars,  also 
similarly  hewn  out  of  the  native  stone.  Some  of 
them  have  been  willfully  broken,  others  have  mould- 
ered away  from  atmospheric  exposure.  The  Portu- 
guese in  their  day,  as  we  were  told  by  the  custodian, 
—  a  superannuated  non-commissioned  oflBcer  of  the 
English  army,  —  planted  cannon  before  the  cave  and 
destroyed  many  of  the  pillars,  as  well  as  the  heathen 
emblems,  by  round  shot.  One  sees  here  the  singular 
phenomenon  of  hanging  pillars,  the  capitals  only  ex- 
tant ;  but  as  the  whole  is  carved  out  of  the  same  huge 


FAMOUS  ROCK  CAVES,  243 

rock  all  parts  are  equally  self-supporting.  There  are 
many  well-executed  figures  in  bas-relief,  more  or  less 
decayed  and  broken,  whicb  is  not  surprising  when  we 
remember  that  the  antiquarians  trace  them  back  with 
certainty  for  some  fifteen  centuries,  and  some  give 
their  origin  to  a  period  nearly  ten  centuries  earlier. 

Though  embodying  so  much  that  is  curious  and 
suggestive  as  these  rock-cave  temples  do,  presenting 
such  an  aggregate  of  patient  labor,  the  world  will 
probably  remain  ever  ignorant  of  their  true  history. 
An  American  traveler,  whom  we  met  in  Bombay,  had 
made  these  Buddhist  temples  a  special  study,  and  had 
just  returned  from  a  visit  to  those  interesting  antiq- 
uities, the  Caves  of  Ellora,  some  two  hundred  miles 
from  Bombay,  consisting  of  several  lofty  apartments 
ornamented  in  a  similar  manner  to  those  at  Elephanta: 
in  bas-relief.  He  also  mentioned  another  excavated 
temple  of  the  same  character  at  Carlee,  between  Bom- 
bay and  Puna,  which  in  many  respects  resembled  a 
Gothic  church,  having  a  vaulted  roof  and  colonnades 
running  on  either  side,  like  aisles.  He  was  disposed 
to  give  the  origin  of  them,  as  well  as  of  those  in  the 
harbor  of  Bombay,  to  a  period  prior  to  the  Christian 
era.  However  strange  and  historically  interesting 
these  excavated  temples  may  be  to  the  observant 
traveler,  he  will  look  in  vain  among  the  carvings  and 
basso-relievi  for  any  just  proportions  of  form  or  ex- 
pression of  features.  There  is  a  lack  of  anything 
like  artistic  genius  evinced,  no  correctness  of  anatom- 
ical proportions  even  attempted.  The  figures  doubt- 
less were  sufficiently  typical  to  answer  their  original 
purpose,  but  are  as  crude  as  Chinese  idols.  When 
the  Prince  of  Wales  was  in  Bombay  he  visited  the 
spot  and  a  sort  of  barbecue  was  given  to  him  within 


^244  DUE  WEST, 

the  cave,  upon  which  the  stony  eyes  of  the  idols  must 
have  looked  down  in  amazement. 

Elephanta  is  also  unique  in  the  production  of  a 
species  of  beetle  remarkable  for  variety  of  colors  and 
ornamentation  of  body.  We  had  seen  numerous 
specimens  of  this  insect  in  southern  India  and  at 
Singapore,  some  of  which  were  an  inch  long,  but 
these  of  Elephanta  were  not  remarkable  for  size. 
They  were  hardly  larger  than  one's  little  finger  nail, 
but  of  such  brilliancy  of  color,  red,  blue,  yellow,  and 
pink,  as  to  cause  them  to  resemble  precious  stones 
rather  than  insects.  Some  were  a  complete  represen- 
tative of  the  opal,  with  all  its  radiating  fire.  Some 
were  spotted  like  butterflies,  others  like  the  expanded 
tail  of  the  peacock,  and  again  some  had  half  circles 
of  alternate  colors  like  the  eyes  in  a  pearl  oyster. 
We  were  told  that  only  upon  this  island  were  such 
specimens  to  be  found.  Children  gathered  them,  and 
filled  little  wooden  boxes  with  various  specimens, 
which  they  sold  for  a  trifle.  The  harbor  of  Bombay 
is  a  spacious  and  excellent  one.  The  old  fortifica- 
tions have  gone  mostly  to  decay,  but  two  floating 
monitors,  the  Abyssinia  and  the  Magdala,  now  form 
the  principal  defense  of  the  port.  The  city,  unlike 
most  commercial  ports,  is  not  situated  on  a  river,  but 
is  one  of  a  cluster  of  islands  connected  with  the  main- 
land by  causeways  and  railroad  viaducts,  turning  it 
into  a  peninsula. 

The  fish-market  is  remarkable  here  for  the  variety 
and  excellence  of  the  finny  tribe  offered  for  sale. 
The  fish-market  of  Havana  has  ever  been  famous  for 
the  size,  color,  and  shapes  of  the  specimens  it  shows 
upon  its  broad  marble  tables,  but  Bombay  rivals  the 
Cuban  capital  in  this  respect.     Fish  forms  a  larga 


LOVE  OF  ORNAMENTS.  246 

portion  of  the  substantial  sustenance  of  the  common 
people.  The  fish-women,  those  who  sell  the  article 
in  the  market,  are  curious,  swarthy  creatures,  covered 
with  bangles  on  wrists,  ankles,  arras,  ears,  and  noses. 
An  East  Indian  woman  seems  to  find  vast  satisfac- 
tion in  this  style  of  disfigurement.  To  see  and  to 
eat  prawns  in  their  perfection,  three  or  four  inches 
long,  one  must  visit  Bombay,  where  they  create  hand- 
some bits  of  scarlet  color  piled  up  amid  the  silver 
and  gold  scaled  fishes  upon  the  white  marble.  The 
fruit  -  market  is  equally  remarkable  for  variety  and 
lusciousness.  Mandarins,  oranges,  lemons,  mangoes, 
grapes,  bananas,  cocoanuts,  rose-apples,  and  vegetables 
too  numerous  to  mention,  load  the  tempting  coun- 
ters. One  of  the  dealers,  a  young  woman  who  would 
have  been  pretty  if  not  so  bedecked,  had  perforated 
each  side  of  her  nostrils  and  wore  in  the  holes  small 
gilt  buttons,  —  this  in  addition  to  bangles  innumer- 
able, and  ornaments  dragging  her  ears  quite  out  of 
shape.  Her  swarthy  brown  limbs  were  covered  to 
above  the  calf  with  rings  of  silver  and  gilt,  and  her 
arms  were  similarly  decked.  Part  of  her  bosom  was 
tattooed  with  blue  and  red  ink.  This  woman  pressed 
a  mango  upon  us  at  a  trifling  cost,  but  not  having 
been  educated  up  to  liking  this  fruit,  it  was  bestowed 
upon  the  first  child  we  met.  The  Indian  mango 
tastes  like  turpentine  and  musk  mixed,  only  more  so. 
The  last  scene  witnessed  at  Bombay,  as  we  were 
waiting  on  the  pier  for  the  steam-launch  which  was 
to  take  us  on  board  the  P.  and  O.  steamship  Kashgar, 
was  the  performance  of  some  street  jugglers.  We  had 
seen  many  such  exhibitions  at  Delhi,  Agra,  Madras, 
and  Benares,  but  these  fellows  seemed  to  be  more 
expert  in  their  tricks,  and  yet  not  superior  or  even 


246  DVE   WEST, 

equal  to  many  prestidigitateurs  whom  we  have  seen  in 
America.  The  doings  of  these  Indian  jugglers  are 
more  curious  in  the  stories  of  travelers  than  when 
witnessed  upon  the  spot.  The  so  -  of  ten  -  described 
trick  of  making  a  dwarf  mango -tree  grow  up  from 
the  seed  before  one's  eyes  to  a  condition  of  fruit- 
bearing,  in  an  incredibly  short  period  of  time,  is  very 
common  with  them,  but  is  really  the  merest  sleight- 
of-hand  affair,  by  no  means  the  best  of  their  perform- 
ances. A  Signer  Blitz  or  Hermann  would  put  the 
most  expert  of  these  Indian  jugglers  to  shame  in 
his  own  art.  The  performers  on  this  occasion  were 
particularly  expert  in  swallowing  knife  blades,  and 
thrusting  swords  down  their  throats;  but  it  was 
difficult  to  get  up  much  enthusiasm  among  the  idle 
crowd  that  gathered  upon  the  pier  to  watch  them, 
and  the  few  pennies  which  the  performers  realized 
could  hardly  be  remunerative. 

We  prepared  for  our  departure  from  India  with 
feelings  of  regret  at  not  being  able  longer  to  study 
its  visible  history,  and  to  travel  longer  within  its 
borders.  Nearly  a  month  and  a  half  had  passed 
since  we  landed  in  the  country  of  the  Hindoo  and 
the  Mohammedan,  the  land  of  palms  and  palaces,  of 
pagodas  and  temples.  Its  remarkable  scenes  and 
monuments  will  never  be  forgotten,  and  with  Japan 
will  ever  share  our  warmest  interest.  There  are 
some  memories  which,  like  wine,  grow  mellow  and 
sweet  by  time,  no  distance  being  able  to  obliterate 
them,  nor  any  after-experience  to  lessen  their  charm. 
India  has  a  record  running  back  through  thousands 
of  years  and  remotest  dynasties,  captivating  the  fancy 
with  numberless  ruins,  which,  while  attesting  the 
splendor  of  their  prime,  form  also  the  only  record  of 


FAREWELL   TO  INDIA.  247 

their  history.  The  mosaic  character  of  its  popula- 
tion, the  peculiarities  of  its  animal  kingdom,  the 
luxuriance  of  its  vegetation,  the  dazzling  beauty  of 
its  birds  and  flowers,  all  crowd  upon  the  memory  in 
charming  kaleidoscopic  combinations.  There  can  be 
no  doubt  of  the  early  grandeur  and  high  civilization 
of  India.  To  the  intellectual  eminence  of  her  peo- 
ple we  owe  the  germs  of  science,  philosophy,  law,  and 
astronomy.  Her  most  perfect  of  all  tongues,  the  San- 
skrit, has  been  the  parent  of  nearly  all  others ;  and 
now  that  her  lustre  has  faded  away,  and  her  chil- 
dren fallen  into  a  condition  of  sloth  and  superstition, 
still  let  us  do  her  historic  justice ;  nor  should  we 
neglect  to  heed  the  lesson  she  so  clearly  presents, 
namely,  that  nations,  like  human  beings,  are  subject 
to  the  unvarying  laws  of  mutability. 

We  embarked  from  Bombay,  February  9th,  on 
board  the  P.  and  O.  steamship  Kashgar  for  Suez,  a 
voyage  of  three  thousand  miles  across  the  Sea  of 
Arabia  and  the  Indian  Ocean,  through  the  Straits 
of  Babelmandeb  and  the  entire  length  of  the  Red 
Sea.  The  most  southerly  point  of  the  voyage  took 
us  within  fourteen  degrees  of  the  equator,  and  con- 
sequently into  an  extremely  warm  temperature.  As 
the  ship's  cabin  proved  to  be  almost  insupportable 
on  account  of  the  heat,  we  passed  a  large  portion  of 
the  nights,  as  well  as  the  days,  upon  deck,  making 
acquaintance  with  the  stars,  looking  down  from  their 
serene  and  silent  spaces,  the  new  moon,  and  the 
Southern  Cross,  all  of  which  were  wonderfully  bright 
in  the  clear,  dry  atmosphere.  As  we  approach  the 
equatorial  region  one  cannot  but  admire  the  increas- 
ing and  wondrous  beauty  of  the  southern  skies,  where 
new  and  striking  constellations  greet  the  observer. 


248  DUE  WEST. 

The  Southern  Cross,  above  all  other  groupings,  in- 
terests the  beholder,  and  he  ceases  to  wonder  at  the 
reverence  with  which  the  inhabitants  of  the  low  lat- 
itudes regard  it.  As  an  accurate  measurer  of  time, 
it  is  also  valued  by  the  mariner  in  the  southern  hem- 
isphere, who  is  nightly  called  to  watch  on  deck,  and 
who  thus  becomes  familiar  with  the  glowing  orbs  re- 
vealed by  the  surrounding  darkness.  As  a  Christian 
emblem  all  southern  nations  bow  before  this  constel- 
lation which  is  denied  to  northern  eyes. 

Bishop  F ,  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church 

of  Massachusetts,  was  a  passenger  on  board  the  Kash- 
gar,  bound  to  Egypt,  and  on  Sunday,  February  11th, 
after  the  captain  had  read  the  usual  services,  he  was 
invited  to  address  the  passengers;  this  he  did  in  an 
eloquent  and  impressive  discourse.  It  was  a  calm, 
beautiful  Sabbath,  a  sweet  tranquillity  enshrouding 
everything.  The  ship  glided  over  the  gently  throb- 
bing breast  of  the  Arabian  Sea  with  scarcely  per- 
ceptible motion ;  and  when  night  came,  the  stillness 
yet  unbroken,  save  by  the  pulsation  of  the  great  mo- 
tive power  hidden  in  the  dark  hull  of  the  Kashgar, 
the  bishop  delivered  a  lecture  on  astronomy.  He 
stood  on  the  quarter-deck,  bare-headed,  his  snow-white 
hair  crowning  a  brow  radiant  with  intellect,  while 
the  attentive  passengers  were  seated  around,  and  over 
his  head  glowed  the  wondrous  orbs  of  which  he  dis- 
coursed. Naturally  eloquent,  the  speaker  seemed 
inspired  by  the  peculiar  surroundings,  as  he  pointed 
out  and  dilated  upon  the  glorious  constellations  and 
planets  blazing  in  the  blue  vault  above  us.  He  ex- 
plained the  immensity  of  these  individual  worlds,  the 
harmonious  system  which  science  shows  to  exist  in 
their  several  spheres,  the  almost  incalculable  distance 


ADEN.  249 

between  them,  as  related  to  each  other  and  as  it  re- 
garded this  earth.  The  sun,  the  moon,  and  the  rota- 
tion of  the  globe,  all  were  learnedly  expatiated  upon, 
and  yet  in  language  so  eloquent  and  simple  as  to 
inform  the  least  intelligent  of  his  listeners.  Finally, 
in  his  peroration,  in  touchingly  beautiful  language, 
he  ascribed  the  power,  the  glory,  and  the  harmony 
of  all  to  that  Almighty  Being  who  is  the  Parent  of 
our  race. 

The  good  ship  held  steadily  on  her  southwest 
course,  day  after  day,  lightly  fanned  by  the  northeast 
monsoon  towards  the  mouth  of  the  Red  Sea.  Our 
time  was  passed  in  reading  aloud  to  each  other,  and 
in  rehearsing  the  experience  of  the  last  six  months. 
We  were  very  dreamy,  very  idle,  but  it  was  sacred 
idleness,  full  of  pleasant  thoughts,  and  half-waking 
visions  induced  by  tropical  languor,  full  of  gratitude 
for  life  and  being  amid  such  tranquillity,  and  beneath 
skies  so  glowing  with  beauty  and  loveliness.  At  the 
end  of  the  sixth  day  we  cast  anchor  at  the  island,  or 
rather  peninsula,  of  Aden,  a  rocky,  isolated  spot  held 
by  English  troops,  to  command  the  entrance  to  tho 
Red  Sea,  —  very  properly  called  the  Gibraltar  of  the 
Indian  Ocean.  Like  that  famous  promontory  it  was 
originally  little  more  than  a  barren  rock,  —  pumice- 
stone  and  lava,  —  which  has  been  improved  into  a . 
picturesque  and  habitable  place,  bristling  with  one 
hundred  British  cannon  of  heavy  calibre.  It  is  a 
spot  much  dreaded  by  sailors,  the  straits  being  half 
closed  by  sunken  rocks,  besides  which  the  shore  is 
considered  the  most  unhealthy  yet  selected  by  civil- 
ized man  as  a  residence. 

The  town  of  Aden  lies   some  distance  from  the 
shore  where  the  landing  is  made,  in  the  very  centre 


250  BVE   WEST. 

of  an  extinct  volcano,  the  sides  of  which  have  fallen 
in  and  form  its  foundation,  affording,  as  may  reason- 
ably be  supposed,  an  opportunity 'for  yet  another  ca- 
lamity like  that  which  so  lately  visited  Ischia,  and 
"which  swallowed  up  Casamicciola.  As  we  passed  in 
from  the  open  sea  to  the  harbor  of  Aden,  the  tall 
masts  of  a  steamship,  wrecked  here  very  lately,  were 
still  visible  above  the  long,  heavy  swell  of  the  ocean. 
The  name  of  these  straits.  Babel mandeb,  given  to 
them  by  the  Arabs,  signifies  the  "  Gate  of  Tears," 
because  of  the  number  of  vessels  which  have  been 
wrecked  in  an  attempt  to  pass  through  them  ;  and 
the  title  is  no  less  applicable  to  our  time  than  when 
they  were  first  named.  There  is  a  saying  among  sea- 
men, that  for  six  months  of  the  year  no  vessel  under 
canvas  can  enter  the  Red  Sea,  and,  for  the  other  six 
months,  no  sailing  vessel  can  get  out.  This  refers  to 
the  regularity  with  which  the  winds  blow  here,  for 
six  months  together.  Aden  lies  within  the  rainless 
zone,  so  that  its  inhabitants  see  no  rain-fall  sometimes 
for  two  or  three  years  together,  depending  for  their 
water  on  wells,  tanks,  and  condensers.  The  remains 
of  an  ancient  and  magnificent  system  of  reservoirs, 
antedating  the  Christian  era,  and  hewn  out  of  the 
solid  rock,  have  been  discovered,  whereby  the  early 
inhabitants  were  accustomed  to  lay  in  a  supply  of  the 
aqueous  fluid  when  it  did  rain,  which  would  last  them 
for  a  long  period  of  months.  Following  out  the  orig- 
inal idea,  these  stone  reservoirs  have  been  thoroughly 
repaired,  and  the  present  inhabitants  now  laj^  up  water 
in  large  quantities  when  the  welcome  rain  visits  them. 
As  we  lay  at  anchor  just  off  the  shore  at  Aden,  the 
ship  was  surrounded  by  a  score  of  small  boats,  dug- 
out  canoes,  in  which  were  boys  as  black  as  Nubians, 


ABOARD   THE  KASHGAR.  251 

with  shining  white  teeth  and  curly  heads,  watching 
us  with  bright,  expressive  eyes.  Such  heads  of  hair 
we  never  chanced  to  meet  with  before.  Evidently 
dyed  red  by  some  means,  the  hair  is  twisted  into  ver- 
tical curls  of  oddest  appearance.  The  little  fellows, 
each  in  his  own  canoe,  varied  in  age  from  ten  to  fif- 
teen years.  By  eloquent  gestures  and  the  use  of  a 
few  English  words,  they  begged  the  passengers  on 
board  the  Kashgar  to  throw  small  coin  into  the  sea, 
for  which  they  would  dive  in  water  that  was  at  least 
seven  fathoms  deep,  that  is,  say  forty  feet.  The  in- 
stant a  piece  of  money  was  thrown,  every  canoe  was 
emptied,  and  twenty  human  beings  disappeared  from 
sight  like  a  flash.  Down,  down  go  the  divers  to  the 
very  bottom,  and  there  struggle  together  for  the  trifle, 
some  one  of  the  throng  being  sure  to  rise  to  the  sur- 
face with  the  coin  displayed  between  his  teeth.  They 
struggle,  wrestle,  and  fight  beneath  the  surface,  and 
when  the  water  is  clear  can  be  seen,  like  the  amphib- 
ious creatures  which  these  shore-born  tribes  really 
are ;  nothing  but  otters  and  seals  could  be  keener 
sighted  or  more  expert  in  the  water. 

Quite  a  number  of  natives  came  on  board  the  ship 
with  curiosities  to  sell,  such  as  choice  shells,  toys, 
leopard  skins,  and  ostrich  feathers.  There  are  plenty 
of  these  birds  running  wild  but  a  little  way  inland, 
and  some  are  kept  in  domestic  confinement  on  ac- 
count of  the  feathers  which  they  yield  ;  but  the  tame 
birds  do  not  develop  such  fine  plumage  as  do  the 
wild  ones.  The  ladies  purchased  choice  specimens 
of  these  elegant  ornaments  at  prices  ridiculously  low 
compared  with  the  charge  for  such  in  Europe  or 
America.  The  men  who  sold  these  feathers  differed 
from  the  other  natives,  and  were  evidently  Syrian 


252  DUE   WEST. 

Jews,  queer  looking  fellows,  small  in  stature,  dark 
as  Arabs,  and  with  their  hair  dressed  in  cork-screw 
curls.  These  small  traders  commenced  by  demand- 
ing guineas  for  their  feathers,  and  ended  by  taking 
shillings.  Notwithstanding  the  barren  aspect  of  the 
surrounding  country,  Aden  manages  to  do  something 
in  the  way  of  exports.  Coffee  is  produced,  not  far 
inland,  as  well  as  honey,  wax,  and  gums,  with  some 
spices,  which  are  shipped  to  Europe. 

It  was  just  about  twilight  when  we  got  up  the 
anchor,  and  steamed  away  from  Aden ;  and  as  the 
evening  set  in  a  bevy  of  birds  were  singularly  at- 
tracted to  the  Kashgar.  They  were  quite  as  much 
land  as  water-birds,  and  were  fully  twice  as  large  as 
robins,  of  a  mingled  white  and  slate  color.  So  per- 
sistent were  these  birds,  and  being  perhaps  a  little 
confused  by  the  surrounding  darkness,  together  with 
the  blinding  lights  of  the  ship,  that  they  permitted 
themselves  to  be  caught  and  handled.  When  thrown 
into  the  air  they  immediately  returned,  to  light  on 
the  bulwarks,  shrouds,  deck,  or  awnings,  in  fact,  any- 
where affording  foothold.  Scores  of  them  roosted  all 
night  on  the  Kashgar ;  but  with  the  first  break  of 
morning  light  they  shook  their  feathers  briskly  for 
a  moment,  uttered  a  few  harsh,  croaking  notes,  as  a 
sort  of  rough  thanks  for  their  night's  lodging,  and 
sailed  away  to  the  Abyssinian  shore. 

The  general  appearance  of  Aden  from  the  sea, 
though  picturesque,  is  not  inviting,  giving  one  an 
idea  of  great  barrenness.  The  mountains  and  rocks 
have  a  peaked  aspect,  like  a  spear  pointed  at  one,  as 
much  as  to  say  "  Better  keep  off."  People  who  land 
for  the  first  time,  however,  are  agreeably  disappointed 
by  finding  that  every  opportunity  for  encouraging 


ENTERING   THE  RED  SEA.  253 

vegetation  and  imparting  its  cheerful  effect  to  the 
rocky  soil  has  been  duly  improved.  When  we  bid 
Aden  good-by  in  the  after-glow  of  sunset,  the  sea  on 
the  harbor  side  was  of  a  deep  azure,  while  in  the  di- 
rection of  the  ocean  it  stretched  away  to  the  horizon 
in  a  soft,  pale  green.  This  effect,  added  to  the  lin- 
gering orange  hue  in  the  west,  and  the  sober  grjiy 
of  the  rocky  promontory  itself,  made  up  a  pleasing 
variety  of  color. 

Our  course  was  now  nearly  north,  leaving  behind 
us  the  island  of  Prim  as  well  as  Aden,  the  former 
being  also  a  British  stronghold  at  the  mouth  of  this 
inland  sea,  close  to  the  Arabian  coast,  and  less  than 
ten  miles  from  the  African  shore,  which  facts  will 
show  the  reader  how  narrow  is  the  southern  entrance 
of  the  Eed  Sea.  The  bold  headlands  of  Abyssinia 
were  long  visible  on  our  port  side,  while  on  the  star- 
board we  had  a  distant  view  of  Arabia  with  the  Lib- 
yan range  of  mountains  in  the  background,  forming 
the  boundary  of  the  desert  of  the  same  name.  Jed- 
dah,  the  sea-port  of  Mecca,  the  resort  of  all  pious 
Mohammedans,  and  Mocha,  with  its  bright  sunlit 
minarets,  the  place  so  suggestive  of  good  coffee,  were 
to  be  seen  in  the  distance.  In  coasting  along  the 
shores  of  Nubia,  the  dense  air  from  off  the  land  was 
like  a  sirocco,  suffocatingly  hot,  the  effect  being  more 
enervating  than  that  of  any  previous  experience  of 
the  journey.  Here  the  water  was  observed  to  be 
much  Salter  to  the  taste  than  that  of  the  open  sea,  a 
fact  easily  accounted  for,  as  it  is  subject  to  the  fierce 
tropical  sun,  and  the  consequent  rapid  evaporation 
leaves  the  saline  property  in  aggregated  proportions 
at  the  surface.  This  is  a  phenomenon  generally  ob- 
servable in  land-locked  arms  of  the  ocean  similarly 


264  DUE    WEST. 

situated :  the  Persian  Gulf  being  another  instance. 
The  free  circulation  of  ocean-currents,  as  well  as  the 
heavy  rain-falls  of  other  tropical  regions,  renders  the 
conditions  more  uniform.  As  we  sailed  through  the 
Gulf  of  Suez  we  had  the  shores  of  Egypt  on  both 
sides  of  us.  The  last  day  on  board  the  Kashgar  was 
characterized  by  one  of  those  blazing  sunsets  that  set 
everything  aglow,  making  it  appear  as  though  the 
world  had  taken  fire  at  the  horizon  and  was  actually 
burning  up. 

Before  arriving  at  Aden  it  was  discovered  that  one 
of  the  foremast  hands  of  the  ship  was  quite  ill  with 
small-pox,  a  very  annoying  thing  to  happen  under 
the  circumstances.  There  were  some  thirty  or  forty 
cabin  passengers  on  board,  and  of  course  serious  fears 
as  to  contagion  were  entertained.  Our  small  party, 
having  already  run  the  gauntlet  of  both  cholera  and 
small-pox,  took  the  matter  very  quietly,  though  we 
had  before  us  a  five  or  six  days'  voyage  to  consum- 
mate before  we  could  hope  to  land.  The  sick  man 
was  placed  in  one  of  the  large  life-boats  on  the  port 
bow,  which  had  a  broad  canvas  nicely  rigged  over 
it,  and  in  this  small,  improvised  hospital  was  per- 
sonally attended  by  the  ship's  doctor  alone,  who  in 
turn  isolated  himself  from  the  passengers.  It  was 
feared  that  we  might  be  quarantined  upon  arriving 
at  Suez;  but  either  by  management  or  accident  we 
arrived  late  at  night  and  got  moored  at  the  dock  be- 
fore any  questions  were  asked.  Selfishness  and  grav- 
itation are  both  immutable.  We  are  quite  satisfied 
to  look  out  for  the  interests  of  number  one,  and  must 
confess  that  we  know  not  to  this  day  whether  the 
poor  fellow,  who  lay  so  sick  in  the  port  boat,  lived  or 
died. 


FRESH-WATER  SAILORS.  255 

A  modest  effort  to  ascertain  why  this  great  arm 
of  the  Indian  Ocean  is  called  the  Red  Sea  was  not 
crowned  with  success.  The  Black  Sea  is  not  black, 
the  Bkie  Danube  is  not  blue,  the  Red  Sea  is  not  red. 
It  extends  between  Africa  and  Arabia  nearly  fifteen 
hundred  miles,  and  in  the  broadest  part  is  not  over 
two  hundred  miles  across,  gradually  contracting  at 
each  end.  Portions  of  it  are  a  thousand  fathoms 
deep,  but  the  shores  on  either  side  are  lined  with  a 
net-work  of  coral  reefs  and  sunken  rocks  extending 
well  out  from  the  coast.  It  was  observed  that  the 
Kashgar  for  the  most  part  kept  nearly  in  the  middle 
of  the  sea.  Small  Arabian  vessels  hug  the  shore,  as 
their  captains  are  familiar  with  the  soundings  and 
can  safely  do  so,  and  yet  they  never  navigate  by 
night  nor  go  out  of  port  when  the  weather  is  in  the 
least  threatening.  They  make  no  attempt  to  cross  the 
sea  except  in  settled  weather,  and  are  what  we  should 
call  fresh  -  water  sailors,  only  venturing  out  when  a 
naked  candle  will  burn  on  the  forecastle.  European 
sailing  vessels  rarely  attempt  to  navigate  the  Red 
Sea ;  it  is  too  intricate,  and  the  chances  too  haz- 
ardous for  anything  but  steam  power  to  encounter. 
The  color  of  the  sea,  so  far  from  being  red,  is  deeply 
blue,  and  where  it  becomes  shoal  changes  to  a  pale 
green ;  but  the  color  of  all  large  expanses  of  water  is 
constantly  changing  from  various  causes.  The  re- 
flection of  the  clouds  will  turn  its  blue  to  a  dark  in- 
digo tint,  and  even  to  inky  blackness.  Experienced 
seamen,  foremast  hands,  who  have  no  access  to  the 
charts,  will  tell  by  the  color  of  the  water,  after  a 
long  voyage,  that  the  land  is  near  at  hand  ;  the  clear 
transparent  blue  becomes  an  olive  green,  and  as  the 
water  grows  more  shallow  it  grows  also  lighter. 


256  DUE   WEST. 

Landing  at  Suez  early  in  the  morning  we  strolled 
about  the  town,  which  presented  hardly  a  feature  of 
local  interest,  except  that  it  was  Suez  and  unlike 
any  other  place  one  had  ever  seen.  The  landscape, 
if  worthy  of  the  name,  consisted  of  far-reaching  sand 
and  water;  not  a  single  tree  or  sign  of  vegetation 
was  visible.  All  was  waste  and  barrenness.  The  hot 
sun  permeating  the  atmosphere  caused  a  shimmering 
in  the  air,  the  tremulous  effect  of  which  was  trying  to 
the  eyes,  and  deceptive  almost  like  a  mirage.  It  was 
a  relief  even  when  a  tall  awkward  necked  camel  came 
between  one  and  the  line  of  vision.  A  characteristic 
scene  emphasized  the  surrounding  desolation,  on  a 
neighboring  sand-hill,  where  a  flock  of  vultures  were 
feeding  upon  the  carcass  of  a  mule.  Disturbed  for  a 
moment  they  rose  lazily,  and  circling  about  the  spot 
settled  again  to  their  carrion  feast.  Though  there 
has  been  a  settlement  here  for  five  centuries,  the 
place  has  only  sprung  into  commercial  importance 
since  the  completion  of  M.  de  Lesseps'  great  enter- 
prise of  wedding  the  Mediterranean  and  Red  Seas. 
There  was  a  noticeable  mingling  of  nationalities  as 
forming  the  rather  incongruous  community.  "We 
counted  half  a  dozen  insignificant  mosques,  and  vis- 
ited the  Arabian  bazars,  but  saw  nothing  of  interest 
save  a  few  corals  and  some  handsome  shells  from  the 
neighboring  sea.  The  people  themselves  were  more 
attractive  and  curious  than  the  goods  they  displayed. 
Sailors  were  lounging  about  the  bar-rooms  in  large 
numbers,  and  the  sale  of  cheap  liquors  appeared  to 
be  the  one  prevailing  business  of  Suez.  The  floating 
population  was  composed  of  Arabs,  Maltese,  Greeks, 
and  Italians.  Some  of  the  first-named  race  were  no- 
ticeable  as   nervous,  sinewy,  broad-chested  fellows, 


ZAGAZIG,  257 

with  narrow  thighs  and  well-shaped  limbs,  like  a  Mo- 
hawk Indian.  Everything  appeared  poverty-stricken, 
and  it  was  a  relief  when  the  time  came  for  us  to  take 
our  seats  in  the  dilapidated  cars  and  leave  the  place. 

Zagazig  was  reached  the  same  afternoon,  and 
though  not  so  populous  a  place  as  Suez  was  much 
more  alive  and  thrifty.  This  settlement  is  also  an 
outgrowth  of  M.  de  Lesseps'  enterprise,  but  it  does  not 
present  any  aspect  of  its  mushroom  growth,  giving 
one  the  impression  of  a  place  well  selected  as  a  set- 
tlement, and  which  had  increased  slowly  and  per- 
manently. We  were  now  bound  directly  to  Cairo, 
which  is  situated  nearly  two  hundred  miles  from 
Suez.  The  first  twenty  or  thirty  miles  of  the  route 
was  through  a  level  desert  of  sand,  scorched,  silent, 
and  deserted,  devoid  of  even  a  spear  of  grass  or  a  sin- 
gle tree,  the  yellow  soil  quivering  in  the  heated  air. 
Mile  after  mile  was  passed  without  meeting  one  re- 
deeming feature.  It  was  desolation  personified.  At 
last  we  came  gradually  upon  a  gently  undulating  and 
beautiful  district  of  country,  enriched  by  the  annual 
deposits  of  the  Nile,  where  careful,  intelligent  culti- 
vation produced  its  natural  results.  Here  we  began 
to  see  small  herds  of  brown  buffaloes,  and  peasants 
plying  the  irrigating  buckets  of  the  shadoof.  Every- 
thing seemed  verdant  and  thriving.  Perhaps  the 
great  contrast  between  the  sterile  desert  so  lately 
crossed  and  the  aspect  which  now  greeted  us  made 
this  really  fertile  region  appear  doubly  so.  Not  since 
the  plains  of  middle  India  had  we  seen  anything 
forming  so  fine  a  rural  picture  as  this.  Though  it 
was  only  the  last  of  February  the  clover  fields  were 
being  mowed,  and  a  second  crop  would  follow;  the 
barley  and  wheat  were  nearly  ready  for  the  sickle, 

17 


258  DUE   WEST. 

while  the  peas  and  beans,  both  in  full  blossom,  were 
picturesque  and  fragrant.  As  we  progressed  through 
this  attractive  region  the  pastures  became  alive  with 
sheep,  goats,  many  camels,  and  some  dromedaries. 

On  our  way  we  made  a  brief  stop  at  the  late  san- 
guine field  of  Tell-el-Keber,  where  the  English  and 
Turks  fought  the  closing  battle  of  the  late  campaign 
in  Egypt.  The  sandy  plain  was  still  strewn  with  the 
debris  of  hastily  deserted  camps,  and  not  far  away 
was  that  significant  spot  which  war  leaves  always  in 
its  track,  —  an  humble  cemetery,  marked  by  many 
small  white  stones,  showing  the  last  resting-places  of 
men  unknown  to  fame,  but  to  whom  life  was  undoubt- 
edly as  sweet  as  it  is  to  those  whose  graves  the  world 
honors  with  monumental  shafts. 

While  we  were  approaching  Cairo,  and  were  yet 
two  or  three  leagues  away,  the  dim  outline  of  the 
everlasting  pyramids  could  be  seen,  through  the  shim- 
mering haze,  softly  limned  against  the  evening  sky, 
firing  the  imagination,  and  causing  an  involuntary 
and  quicker  pulsation  of  the  heart.  It  was  impossible 
not  to  recall  the  glowing  words  of  the  Humpback  in 
the  Thousand  and  One  Nights,  as  we  saw  the  pyra- 
mids and  glistening  minarets  coming  into  view :  *'  He 
who  hath  not  seen  Cairo  hath  not  seen  the  world  :  its 
soil  is  gold ;  its  Nile  is  a  wonder ;  its  women  are  like 
the  black  -  eyed  virgins  of  Paradise ;  its  houses  are 
palaces,  and  its  air  is  soft,  —  its  odor  surpassing  that 
of  aloes-wood  and  cheering  the  heart;  and  how  can 
Cairo  be  otherwise  when  it  is  the  Mother  of  the 
World?" 


CHAPTER  IX. 

Cairo  and  the  Arabian  Nights.  —  Street  Scenes  and  Cries —  Camels 
and  Donkeys. — Turkish  Bazars  in  Old  Cairo. — Water-Carriers. 
—  The  Pyramids  of  Gizeh.  —  The  Sphinx.  —  Interesting  Visit  to  a 
Native  House.  —  Mosque  of  Mehemet  Ali.  —  The  Rotten  Row 
of  Cairo.  —  The  Khedive's  Palace.  —  Egyptian  Museum.  —  Mosque 
of  Amer. — Whirling  and  Howling  Dervishes.  —  Suez  Canal. — 
Ismailia  and  Port  Said.  —  Island  of  Malta.  —  City  of  Valetta.  — 
Palace  of  the  Knights.  —  Bird's-eye  View. 

Cairo  is  nearly  the  size  of  Boston,  having  a  pop- 
ulation of  about  four  hundred  thousand.  It  forms  a 
strange  medley  of  human  life,  —  a  many-hued  crowd 
constantly  pouring  through  its  thoroughfares,  dirty 
lanes,  and  narrow  streets,  in  picturesque  confusion. 
On  one  side  the  observer  is  jostled  by  a  liveried  ser- 
vant all  silver  braid  and  bright  buttons,  and  on  the 
other  by  an  Arab  in  loose  white  robe  and  scarlet  tur- 
ban ;  now  by  a  woman  with  her  face  half-concealed  be- 
neath her  yasmak,  and  now  by  one  scarce  clothed  at 
all ;  by  jaunty  Greeks  in  theatrical  costume,  and  cun- 
ning Jews  with  keen,  searching  eyes ;  by  tempting 
flower-girls,  and  by  shriveled  old  crones  who  impor- 
tune for  alms  ;  by  Franks,  Turks,  and  Levantines  ;  by 
loaded  donkeys  and  lazy,  mournful-looking  camels  — 
a  motley  group.  The  water-carrier,  with  his  goat- 
skin filled  and  swung  across  his  back,  divides  the 
way  with  the  itinerant  cook  and  his  portable  kitchen. 
In  short,  it  is  the  ideal  city  of  the  Arabian  Nights. 
The  Esbekyeh  is  the  Broadway  of  Cairo,  and  its  con- 
trast to  the  mass  of  narrow  lanes  and  passages  where 


260  DUE   WEST. 

the  native  bazars  are  located,  as  well  as  the  dingy- 
houses  of  the  populace,  only  adds  to  its  brilliancy. 

Like  Paris,  it  is  a  city  of  cafes.  During  the  even- 
ing and  far  into  the  night,  crowds  of  individuals  of 
every  nationality  are  seen  seated  in  groups  before 
them  in  the  open  air,  drinking  every  sort  of  known 
liquid,  but  coffee  taking  precedence  of  all  others.  In 
picturesqueness  of  costume,  the  Turk  leads  the  world. 
There  is  none  of  the  buttoned-up  aspect  of  Europeans 
about  him.  His  graceful  turban  and  flowing  robes 
are  worthy  of  the  classic  antique,  while  the  rich  con- 
trast of  colors  which  he  always  wears  adds  finish  to 
the  general  effect.  As  he  sits  cross-legged  before  his 
open  bazar,  smoking  his  long  pipe,  he  looks  very  wise, 
learned,  and  sedate,  though  in  point  of  fact,  as  has 
been  shrewdly  said,  there  are  doubtless  more  brains 
under  the  straw  hat  of  a  Yankee  peddler  than  under 
three  average  turbans.  The  dark,  narrow  lanes  and 
endless  zigzag  alleys  had  an  indescribable  interest, 
with  their  accumulated  dirt  of  neglect  and  dust  of  a 
land  where  rain  is  so  seldom  known.  One  looks  up 
in  passing  at  those  overhanging  balconies,  imagining 
the  fate  of  the  harem-secluded  women  behind  them, 
occasionally  catching  stolen  glances  from  curious  eyes 
peering  between  the  lattices.  What  a  life  is  theirs ! 
Education  is  unknown  among  the  Egyptian  women. 
They  have  no  mental  resort.  Life,  intellectually,  is 
to  them  a  blank.  There  was  a  mingled  atmospheric 
flavor  impregnating  everything  with  an  incense-like 
odor,  thoroughly  Oriental.  One  half  expected  to  meet 
Ali  Baba  and  the  Forty  Thieves,  as  we  still  look  for 
Antonio  and  the  Jew  on  the  Rialto  at  Venice.  The 
whole  city,  with  myriads  of  drawbacks,  was  yet  very- 
sunny,  very  interesting,  very  attractive.     The  dreams 


STREET  SCENES  OF  CAIRO.  261 

of  childhood,  with  those  veracious  Arabian  stories 
and  pictures,  were  constantly  before  the  mind's  eye, 
in  all  their  extravagant  absurdities,  stimulating  the 
imagination  to  leap  from  fancy  to  fancy  as  it  achieved 
grotesque  impossibilities,  and  peopled  the  present 
scene  as  in  the  days  of  Haroun  Alraschid. 

Camels  and  donkeys  were  in  endless  numbers  ;  the 
latter,  small  creatures  carrying  enormous  loads,  and 
often  having  big,  lazy  men  on  their  backs,  —  so  im- 
measurably disproportioned  to  the  animals  as  to 
seem  liable  to  break  their  tiny  limbs  like  pipe  stems. 
Of  course  the  fable,  wherein  the  old  man  was  told  it 
was  more  fitting  that  he  should  carry  his  ass  than 
that  his  ass  should  carry  him,  occurred  to  us.  Scores 
of  Egyptian  porters,  bent  half  double,  carried  on 
their  backs  loads  that  would  stagger  a  brewer's  horse. 
Women  who  rode  their  ponies  and  donkeys  astride, 
man-fashion,  were  yet  very  careful  to  cover  their 
faces  from  view,  their  eyes  gleaming  out  of  peep-holes 
like  those  of  a  cat  in  the  dark.  Others,  again,  jostled 
you  in  the  street  with  little  naked  children  straddling 
one  shoulder,  and  holding  on  by  both  hands  to  the 
mother's  head.  People  riding  upon  donkeys  —  used 
in  place  of  cabs  here  —  require  a  boy  to  follow  be- 
hind them  with  a  stick  to  belabor  the  poor  creatures ; 
otherwise,  being  so  trained,  they  will  not  move  a  step 
forward.  Those  who  drive  through  -the  streets  in 
carriages  have  a  runner  to  precede  them,  gorgeously 
dressed,  and  carrying  a  long  white  wand  in  his  hand, 
who  is  constantly  crying  to  clear  the  way.  These 
runners  go  as  fast  as  a  horse  ordinarily  trots,  and 
seem  never  to  tire.  The  common  people  lie  down  on 
the  sidewalk,  beside  the  road,  in  nooks  and  corners, 
anywhere  in  the  open  air,  to  sleep  off  their  fatigue  like 


262  DUE   WEST. 

a  dog.  Speaking  of  dogs ;  here,  as  in  Constantino- 
ple, their  name  is  legion,  and  they  appear  to  have  no 
special  masters,  shrinking  away  into  holes  or  behind 
bales  of  goods  during  the  day,  and  coming  forth  by 
night  to  seek  for  food  from  the  debris  of  the  streets, 
like  jackals  in  India  or  crows  in  Ceylon.  Every  pub- 
lic square  has  its  fountain,  and  there  are  two  hundred 
in  Cairo,  where  the  domestic  portion  of  the  households 
come  to  obtain  water.  The  young  girls  carry  water 
gracefully  poised  in  jars  upon  their  heads,  display- 
ing forms  and  gait  of  faultless  beauty.  Some  of  these 
girls  scrupulously  screen  their  faces  from  the  public 
eye;  others  roguishly  remove  the  yasmak  when  a 
European  smiles  at  them,  and  tinkle  their  silver 
bracelets  as  full  of  roguery  as  a  Viennese. 

What  a  motley  aspect  these  Cairo  bazars  present ! 
This  old  Turk,  with  flowing  caftan  and  white  turban, 
from  his  dingy  quarters  dispenses  delicious  odors, 
curious  pastes  and  essences,  with  kohl  for  the  eyes 
and  henna  for  the  fingers.  Another  has  piles  of  san- 
dal-wood fans,  beads,  and  cheap  jewelry  of  silver 
and  gilt ;  now  we  come  upon  a  low  platform  spread 
with  Syrian  crapes  of  all  colors,  hues,  and  patterns, 
to  satisfy  the  gaudy  taste  of  the  slaves  of  the  harem 
and  the  negresses  of  the  Soudan ;  here  are  sweet- 
meats, dates  stuffed  with  almonds  and  honey  and 
sugar,  combined  in  a  tempting  mixture,  with  added 
coloring  matter  ;  again  we  have  pipes  of  all  shapes 
and  sizes,  with  delicate  stems  of  nicely  wrought  am- 
ber, and  stores  of  trinkets  from  Stamboul ;  here  are 
red  and  yellow  slippers  of  kid  and  satin,  some  elabor- 
ately wrought  in  silver  and  gilt,  and  all  turned  up  at 
the  toes.  The  narrow  way  is  crowded  with  white 
and  red  turbans,  women  with  fruit  in  baskets  upon 


THE  ISLAND  OF  RODA,  263 

their  heads,  strong  and  wiry  Bedouins  leading  their 
horses  and  taking  count  of  everything  with  their 
sharp  black  eyes.  They  are  the  veritable  sons  of  the 
desert.  Nile  boatmen,  Abyssinian  slaves,  and  lazy 
Egyptians,  with  Greeks,  Italians,  and  Maltese,  make 
up  the  jostling  crowd  of  the  bazars ;  and  amid  all 
this  one  feels  inquisitive  as  to  where  Aladdin's  uncle 
may  be  just  now,  with  his  new  lamps  to  exchange 
for  old  ones. 

Your  local  guide  will  suggest  a  short  excursion  to 
the  Island  of  Roda,  and  it  is  best  to  go  there  :  if  you 
do  not,  some  one  will  tell  you  that  it  was  a  great 
omission ;  that  you  will  never  know  what  you  have 
missed,  and  so  forth  !  It  is  reached  by  a  ferry-boat 
at  a  fee  of  a  few  pennies.  Here  the  gardener  points 
out  the  identical  spot  where  Moses  was  rescued  by 
the  king's  daughter !  Here  is  to  be  seen  the  Nil- 
ometer,  a  square  well  connected  with  the  Nile,  hav- 
ing in  its  centre  an  octagonal  column  on  which  is 
inscribed  Arabian  measures.  The  flora  of  the  island 
was  interesting,  showing  a  large  array  of  palms, 
oranges,  lemons,  bananas,  date,  and  fig-trees.  Here 
also  was  pointed  out  to  us  the  henna  plant,  which  we 
had  not  before  seen,  and  from  whence  comes  the 
dye  with  which  the  Eastern  women  tint  their  fingers, 
nails,  and  the  palms  of  their  hands.  The  plant  is 
seen  here  in  the  form  of  a  well-trimmed  dwarf  bush, 
but  it  grows  more  like  a  tree  in  its  natural  state. 

The  street  cries  of  Cairo  are  unique.  At  the  early 
break  of  the  day,  or  rather  at  the  moment  of  sunrise, 
the  muezzin  is  heard :  "  To  prayers,  to  prayers,  O 
ye  believers ! "  Mustapha  translated  for  us.  Here 
was  a  seller  of  peas,  crying :  "  O  parched  peas. 
Nuts  of  love  ! "     He  was  a  rough  fellow  but  had  a 


264  DUE   WEST. 

mellow  voice.  All  these  itinerants  qualify,  or  recom- 
mend their  goods  by  added  words  ;  thus  a  girl,  with 
cut  up  sugar-cane  in  a  basket  upon  her  head,  cried : 
"  Sugar-canes ;  white  sugar-canes,"  though  the  article 
was  black  and  blue.  The  water-carrier,  with  a  full 
skin  slung  over  his  shoulder,  shouted  :  *'  God's  gift, 
limpid  water !  "  A  long  bearded  Copt  cried :  "  O 
figs ;  O  believers,  figs  I  "  and  so  on.  When  the  crowd 
is  dense  in  the  narrow  streets  lined  by  the  bazars, 
the  donkey-boy  shouts :  "  O  woman,  to  the  left !  "  or  if 
some  peddler  of  goods  be  in  the  way,  he  or  she  is  des- 
ignated by  the  article  on  sale,  as :  "  O  oranges,  to  the 
right !  "  or  "  O  eggs,  out  of  the  way  !  "  This,  which 
sounds  so  odd,  is  meant  in  good  faith,  and  answers 
the  desired  purpose.  No  one  calls  out  in  Arabic,  ad- 
dressing another,  without  prefixing  some  expletive. 
Thus  the  dealer  of  sweetmeats  drawls  out :  "  In  the 
name  of  the  Prophet,  comfits."  Even  the  beggar 
says :  "  O  Christian,  backsheesh  !  "  as  he  leans  upon 
a  crutch  and  extends  his  trembling  hand.  If  yow  re- 
spond, all  is  well ;  if  not,  your  ears  will  be  assailed  by 
a  jumble  of  Arabic,  which,  if  your  guide  faithfully 
translates  to  you,  will  probably  be  found  to  signify  a 
hearty  wish  that  Allah  may  roast  your  grandfather. 

The  pyramids  of  Gizeh  are  situated  about  ten 
miles  from  Cairo,  and  after  crossing  the  Nile  by  a 
remarkable  iron  bridge,  guarded  at  either  end  by 
two  bronze  lions,  are  reached  by  a  straight  level  road 
lined  with  well-trimmed  trees.  This  road  terminates 
at  a  rocky  plateau  which  serves  to  give  these  wonder- 
ful structures  an  elevated  site,  as  well  as  to  form  a 
natural  foundation  for  the  enormous  weight  of  solid 
stone  to  be  supported.  There  is  always  an  impop 
tuning  group  of  Arabs  here,  who  live  upon  the  gra 


PYRAMIDS  OF  GIZEH.  265 

tuitie^  obtained  from  visitors,  and  they  are  so  persist- 
ent as  to  lead  many  people  to  employ  them  solely  for 
the  purpose  of  ending  their  annoyance.  These  hang- 
ers-on assist  people  to  ascend  and  descend  the  pyra- 
mids for  a  fixed  sum,  or  for  a  few  shillings  will  run 
up  and  down  them  like  monkeys.  On  the  way  be- 
tween Cairo  and  the  pyramids,  through  the  long  alley 
of  acacias,  we  passed  hundreds  of  camels  bound  to  the 
city,  laden  with  green  fodder,  and  newly  cut  clover, 
for  stable  use  in  town.  They  do  not  employ  carts ; 
the  backs  of  camels  and  donkeys  supersede  the  use 
of  wheels. 

Nothing  new  can  be  written  about  these  monu- 
ments. Famous  and  hoary,  doting  with  age,  the 
pyramids  were  disappointing  to  us,  —  not  as  to  size, 
for  they  are  immense.  Every  one  is  familiar  with 
the  marvelous  statistics  relating  to  them.  But  what 
do  they  really  amount  to  ?  They  simply  show,  stand- 
ing there  upon  the  border  of  the  desert,  a  vast  ag- 
gregate of  labor  performed  by  compulsion,  and  only 
exhibit  the  supreme  folly  of  the  monarchs  who  thus 
vainly  strove  to  erect  monuments  which  should  defy 
all  time  and  perpetuate  their  fame.  Symbols  of  an- 
cient tyranny  and  injustice,  tears,  and  death.  To- 
day not  even  the  names  of  their  founders  are  known. 
There  are  plausible  suppositions  enough  about  them, 
each  investigator  and  writer  upon  the  subject  hav- 
ing plenty  of  argument  to  support  his  special  convic- 
tions and  theory ;  but  so  far  as  the  simple  truth  is 
concerned  the  history  of  Cheops  is  much  better  stand- 
ing as  a  blank  than  resting  amid  a  confusion  of  very 
thin  speculations.  There  is  no  genius  evinced  in  the 
design  or  execution  of  the  pyramids.  Neither  art, 
taste,  nor  religion  arc  in  any  way  subserved  by  these 


266  BUE   WEST. 

unequaled  follies.  Nothing  could  be  ruder :  there  is 
no  architectural  excellence  exhibited  in  them ;  they 
are  merely  enormous  piles  of  stone  ;  that  is  absolutely 
all.  Some  pronounce  them  marvelous  evidences  of 
ancient  greatness  and  power.  True ;  but  if  it  were 
desirable,  we  could  build  loftier  and  larger  ones  in 
our  day.  As  they  are  surely  over  four  thousand 
years  old  we  admit  that  they  are  venerable,  and  they 
enjoy  a  certain  consideration  on  that  account.  In 
the  religious  instinct  which  led  the  Buddhists  to 
build,  at  such  enormous  expense  of  time  and  monej^ 
those  cave  temples  of  Elephanta,  Ellora,  and  Carlee ; 
in  the  idolatrous  Hindoo  temples  of  Madura,  Tan- 
jore,  and  Trichinopoly,  the  shrines  of  Ceylon,  the 
pagodas  of  China,  and  the  rich  temples  of  Nikko, 
one  detects  an  underlying  and  elevating  sentiment,  a 
grand  and  reverential  idea,  in  which  there  may  be 
more  of  truth  and  acceptable  veneration  than  we  can 
appreciate ;  but  in  the  pyramids  we  have  no  expres- 
sion of  devotion  ;  only  an  embodiment  of  personal 
vanity,  which  hesitated  at  nothing  for  its  gratifica- 
tion, and  which  has  only  proved  a  total  failure. 

The  immensity  of  the  desert  landscape,  and  the 
absence  of  any  object  for  comparison,  make  these 
three  pyramids  seem  smaller  than  they  are,  but  the 
actual  height  of  the  largest,  that  of  Cheops,  is  nearly 
five  hundred  feet,  and  it  looks  to  be  of  that  height 
when  one  is  far  away  from  its  base.  The  fixed  object 
of  the  pyramids  is  still  a  subject  of  learned  discus- 
sion, as  well  as  by  whom  they  were  built.  The  the- 
ory that  they  are  royal  tombs  is  generally  accepted ; 
and  yet  have  not  the  mummies  of  bulls  and  other 
animals  been  found  in  them  ?  All  record  relating  to 
Cheops  is  at  least  very  questionable ;  thus  history 


THE  SPHINX,  267 

fades  into  fable,  and  is  clouded  with  doubt.  Bunsen 
claims  for  Egypt  nearly  seven  thousand  years  of  civ- 
ilization and  prosperity  before  the  building  of  these 
monstrous  monuments.  We  do  not  often  pause  to 
consider  how  little  real  history  there  is.  Conjecture 
is  not  history.  If  contemporary  record  so  often  be- 
lies itself,  what  ought  we  to  consider  of  that  which 
comes  through  the  shadowy  distance  of  ages  ?  It 
will  be  remembered  that  a  mummy  of  a  human  be- 
ing, taken  from  the  smallest  of  the  three  pyramids, 
that  of  Myceninus,  is  to  be  seen  in  the  British  Mu- 
seum. The  familiar  story  of  the  beautiful  Egyptian 
princess,  who  is  said  to  have  erected  this  pyramid 
with  the  fortunes  of  her  many  lovers,  will  occur  to 
the  reader.  A  volume  of  legendary  matter  could  be 
filled  relative  to  these  structures,  which  are  called 
pyramids  of  Gizeh,  after  the  crumbled  city  which  once 
stood  so  near  to  them. 

Not  many  hundred  feet  from  the  pyramids,  on  a 
somewhat  lower  plain,  stands  that  colossal  mystery, 
the  Sphinx.  The  Arabs  call  it  «'  The  Father  of  Ter- 
ror," and  it  certainly  has  a  most  weird,  unworldly 
look.  Its  body,  and  most  of  the  head,  is  hewn  out 
of  the  solid  rock  where  it  stands,  the  upper  portion 
forming  the  head  and  bust  of  a  human  being,  to 
which  is  added  the  paws  and  body  of  an  animal. 
The  great  size  of  the  figure  will  be  realized  when  we 
recall  the  fact  that  the  face  is  thirty  feet  long  and 
half  as  wide.  The  body  is  in  a  reclining,  or  rather 
a  sitting  posture,  with  the  paws  extended  forward 
some  fifty  feet  or  more.  This  strange  figure  is  be- 
lieved to  be  of  much  greater  antiquity  than  the  pyra- 
mids, but  no  one  knows  how  old  it  is.  Notwithstand- 
ing its  mutilated  condition,  showing  the  furrows  of 


268  DUE    WEST, 

time,  the  features  have  still  a  sad,  tranquil  expression, 
the  whole  reminding  us,  in  its  apparent  purpose,  of 
the  great  bronze  image  Dai  -  Butsu  at  Kamakura, 
though  it  is  some  five  thousand  years  older,  at  least, 
than  the  Japanese  figure.  There  is  also  the  founda- 
tion of  an  ancient  temple  near  at  hand,  the  upper 
portion  of  the  structure  having  long  since  crumbled 
to  dust.  This  is  supposed  to  have  been  in  some  way- 
connected  with  the  great  statue,  half  animal  and  half 
human  in  form.  Ages  ago,  from  a  sanctuary  between 
the  lion-like  paws  of  the  sphinx,  sacrifices  were  un- 
doubtedly offered,  as  archaeologists  believe,  of  human 
beings,  to  the  divinity  it  was  designed  to  represent. 
Here,  for  five  or  six  thousand  years,  more  or  less, 
this  strange  figure  has  remained  unchanged  in  the 
midst  of  change,  through  ancient  Ethiopian  dynas- 
ties, mediaeval  battles,  and  pestilences ;  even  to  our 
day,  calm,  unalterable,  crumbling  i^i  parts,  but  still 
bodily  extant,  and  doubtless  the  oldest  known  object 
erected  by  the  hand  of  man. 

In  a  visit  to  the  house  of  our  guide  in  Cairo,  an 
intelligent  Turk,  who  wore  the  full  traditional  cos- 
tume of  his  people,  and  was  a  person  of  some  note, 
though  not  above  receiving  eight  francs  per  day  for 
his  services,  it  was  interesting  to  observe  the  domestic 
arrangements,  which  he  assured  us  were  similar  to 
those  of  most  of  his  neighbors.  The  rooms  were  of 
various  heights,  and  irregular  in  formation,  requir- 
ing one  to  constantly  ascend  or  descend  a  couple  of 
steps  in  passing  from  one  room  to  another,  no  two  be- 
ing of  the  same  height,  —  a  most  incongruous  arrange- 
ment, the  object  of  which  was  not  apparent.  The 
placing  of  the  windows  in  the  dwelling  also  struck  us 
as  being  very  odd,  until  the  explanation  that  the  de- 


EDUCATION  IN  CAIRO.  269 

sign  was  to  prevent  being  overlcK)ked  by  one's  neigh- 
bors. The  guide  touched  a  secret  spring  and  showed 
a  door,  where  we  should  not  have  supposed  one  to 
exist,  leading  into  a  dark,  descending  passage  to  the 
rear  and  outside  of  the  house.  This,  he  explained, 
was  designed  to  afford  an  escape  in  case  of  emer- 
gency, and  was  only  known  to  the  builder  and  him- 
self. "  All  houses  in  Cairo  have  some  such  passages," 
he  remarked.  A  few  minutes  later,  in  a  dark  corner, 
a  secret  door  was  caused  to  open,  half  the  size  of  the 
first,  and  to  which  he  pointed  mysteriously.  "  And 
what  is  this  for  ?  "  we  asked.  "  It  is  to  hide  treasures 
in,  and  to  secrete  one's  self  in  haste,  when  desirable," 
he  replied.  One  would  suppose  that  the  universality 
of  these  architectural  secrets  would  rob  them  of  all 
security  or  usefulness.  There  was  one  portion  of  the 
house  not  open  to  us,  which  was,  as  may  be  supposed, 
the  apartments  occupied  by  Mustapha's  wives,  of 
whom  he  acknowledged  to  have  four  behind  the  lat- 
ticed blinds  of  the  overhanging  balcony. 

Although  there  are  plenty  of  schools  in  Cairo,  such 
as  they  are,  only  boys  are  taught  to  read  and  write 
in  them.  Girls,  even  among  the  wealthy  classes,  are 
not  taught,  as  a  rule,  the  simplest  rudiments  of  ed- 
ucation. They,  however,  acquire  some  accomplish- 
ments of  a  domestic  character,  —  such  as  sewing,  em- 
broidery, —  and  often  play  upon  some  simple  musical 
instrument  of  a  string  character.  We  saw  in  Mus- 
tapha's house  a  mandolin  which  was  evidently  used 
by  the  women  of  the  harem. 

The  Mosque  of  Mehemet  Ali,  with  its  tapering 
minarets  overlooking  all  Cairo,  was  found  to  be  quite 
a  modern  edifice,  scarcely  more  than  half  a  century 
in  age,  but  it  is  a  very  remarkable  and  beautiful 


270  DUE   WEST, 

structure,  and  of  great  cost.  The  spacious  building  is 
lined  throughout  with  Oriental  alabaster,  and  the 
exterior  is  of  the  same  costly  finish.  There  is  the 
sarcophagus  of  Mehemet  Ali,  the  most  enlightened 
of  modern  Egyptian  rulers,  before  which  lamps  are 
burning  perpetually.  The  interior  of  this  mosque  in 
its  combined  effect  seemed  to  be  the  most  effective, 
architecturally,  of  any  temple  of  the  sort  which  we 
had  visited.  There  is  a  height,  breadth,  and  sol- 
emn dignity  in  its  aspect,  which  earnestly  impresses 
one.  The  exterior  is  much  less  striking,  but  yet  ad- 
mirably balanced  and  harmonized.  The  lofty  situa- 
tion of  the  mosque  commands  one  of  the  most  inter- 
esting views  that  can  well  be  conceived  of.  The  city, 
with  its  countless  minarets  and  domed  mosques,  its 
public  buildings  and  tree-adorned  squares,  its  section 
of  mud-colored  houses  and  terraced  roofs,  lies  in  the 
form  of  a  crescent  at  the  visitor's  feet,  while  the 
plains  of  Lower  Egypt  stretch  far  away  in  all  direc- 
tions. The  tombs  of  the  Memlooks  lie  close  at  hand, 
full  of  suggestiveness,  as  also  does  the  lonely  column 
of  Heliopolis,  four  thousand  years  old,  marking  the 
site  of  the  famous  "  City  of  the  Sun."  Beyond  and 
towards  the  sea  is  the  land  of  Goshen,  where  the 
sons  of  Jacob  fed  their  flocks.  A  little  more  west- 
erly in  the  mysterious  Nile  is  seen  the  well-wooded 
island  of  Roda,  quietly  nestling  in  the  broad  bosom 
of  the  river.  The  grand  Aqueduct,  with  its  high 
arches  reaching  for  miles,  reminds  one  of  the  Cam- 
pagna  at  Rome;  while  beyond  loom  up  the  time- 
defying  pyramids,  the  horizon  ending  at  the  borders 
of  the  great  Libyan  Desert.  Far  away  to  the  south- 
west a  forest  of  palms  dimly  marks  the  site  of  dead 
and  buried  Memphis,  where  Joseph  interpreted  a 


THE  SHOOBRA  PALACE.  271 

monarch's  dream.  Twilight  was  approaching  when 
we  were  there  The  half-suppressed  hum  of  a  dense 
Eastern  population  came  up  from  the  busy,  low-lying 
city,  and  a  strange,  sensuous  flavor  of  sandal-wood, 
musk,  and  attar  of  roses  floated  upon  the  golden 
haze  of  the  sunset,  indelibly  fixing  the  Oriental  scene 
on  the  memory. 

A  visit  to  the  Shoobra  Palace,  in  the  environs  of 
Cairo,  took  us  over  a  fine  road  and  through  a  shady 
avenue  of  sycamores  and  lebbec-trees,  the  latter  re- 
markable for  its  umbrageous  character.  This  is  the 
favorite  drive  of  the  citizens  at  twilight,  where  every 
known  modern  style  of  carriage  may  be  met,  from 
the  Khedive's  equipages,  four-in-hand,  and  those  of 
the  ladies  of  his  harem,  to  the  single  English  gig  or 
dog-cart.  There  are  also  the  light  American  trotting 
wagons,  elegant  European  barouches,  mingled  with 
equestrians  upon  spirited  Arab  horses;  also  people 
mounted  upon  nice  donkeys,  —  for  some  of  these  ani- 
mals are  highly  bred.  Again,  richly  caparisoned  cam- 
els from  the  Khedive's  stables  occasionally  heighten 
the  Eastern  aspect  of  the  scene,  which  recalled  the 
Maidan  of  Calcutta  most  vividly.  The  roadway  is 
not  devoid  of  pedestrians,  who  come  to  see  and  to  be 
seen.  In  short,  the  Shoobra  Road  is  the  Rotten  Row 
of  Cairo.  Even  here  fashion  steps  in  after  her  arbi- 
trary manner,  and  establishes  Friday  and  Sunday 
afternoons  as  the  "  swell "  days  for  riding  or  driving 
oil  the  avenue.  But  we  started  for  the  Khedive's 
Palace,  and  have  stopped  to  gossip  by  the  way. 

The  Summer  Palace  at  Shoobra  is  surrounded  by 
beautiful  gardens,  to  visit  which  a  permit  is  required 
from  city  oflicials  ;  but  not  being  thus  prepared,  a 
little  silver  was  found  to  be  equally  effective  with  the 


272  DUE   WEST. 

obliging  custodian.  The  apartments  of  the  palace 
are  numerous  and  elegantly  furnished,  in  a  mixed 
Turkish  and  European  style,  with  divans,  lounges, 
chairs,  tables  of  inlaid  marble,  and  massive  curtains 
mingled  with  silk  and  satin  hangings.  The  grand 
drawing-room  was  furnished  in  gold  and  white  satin ; 
the  ladies'  parlor  in  green  satin  and  silver ;  each  an- 
teroom in  different  colors ;  all  gorgeous,  and  a  little 
fantastic.  The  great  number  of  mirrors  was  almost 
confusing ;  and  French  clocks,  two  in  some  rooms, 
stared  at  one  from  all  directions.  The  mirrors  pro- 
duced a  serious  danger  by  their  reflected  perspective, 
and  one  was  liable  to  walk  boldly  into  them.  In  the 
centre  of  the  palace  was  an  area  open  to  the  sky,  upon 
which  doors  and  windows  faced,  after  the  Moorish 
style,  as  at  Cordova  and  Toledo,  in  the  centre  of  which 
was  an  artificial  lake  formed  by  a  huge  marble  basin, 
the  whole  surrounded  by  corridors  of  white  marble. 
Here  were  placed  divans,  lounges,  and  luxurious 
chairs,  besides  many  choice  plants  in  richly  orna- 
mented porcelain  vases,  evidently  forming  the  domes- 
tic lounging  place  of  the  family.  We  observed  an 
American  piano  in  a  cozy  little  room  opening  upon 
this  corridor,  and  a  billiard-table  in  another.  In  the 
extensive  grounds  surrounding  the  palace,  landscape- 
gardening  and  modern  floral  effects  have  been  finely 
carried  out  by  a  skilled  foreigner,  who  had  been  im- 
ported for  this  special  purpose  from  Versailles.  The 
variety  of  fruit  was  really  remarkable,  embracing 
orange,  lemon,  banana,  fig,  peach,  and  pear-trees, 
and  a  great  variety  of  choice  flowers  were  in  their 
glory.  The  peach-trees,  —  it  was  late  in  February, 
—  well -divided  about  the  long,  broad  paths,  were 
in  full  splendor  of  blossom,  dotting  the  whole  view 


THE  CAIRO  MUSEUM.  273 

with  huge  clusters  of  pink  flowers  delightful  to  the 
eye.  The  walks  were  clean,  nicely  cared  for,  and  the 
shrubbery  admirably  trimmed,  though  there  was  no 
attempt  at  Chinese  grotesqueness  in  shape  and  figures. 
Nature  was  permitted  to  follow  her  own  sweet  will  as 
to  form  and  luxuriousness  of  growth,  filling  the  air  with 
a  mingled  perfume  of  roses,  heliotrope,  and  lemon- 
verbena.  As  we  left  the  grounds  each  was  presented 
with  a  bouquet  by  the  disinterested  (?)  gardener. 

The  exhibition  of  Egyptian  antiquities  in  the  Cairo 
Museum  is  the  most  extensive  and  complete  collec- 
tion in  existence,  affording  historic  data  of  priceless 
value  to  the  antiquarian.  Here  we  have  tangible  his- 
tory taking  us  back  four  thousand  five  hundred  years 
before  the  coming  of  Christ,  representing  not  only 
the  art  and  culture,  but  also  the  religion  of  those  re- 
mote periods,  even  to  the  days  of  Menes,  the  first 
recorded  king.  A  wooden  statue  over  four  thousand 
years  old,  recovered  from  Memphis,  launches  one's 
imagination  upon  a  busy  train  of  thought.  Here 
were  curious  tables,  papyrus,  bronze  images,  mum- 
mies, sculptures  from  stone,  objects  relating  to  do- 
mestic life,  arms,  rings,  combs,  vases,  and  many  other 
articles  which  were  in  use  four  thousand  years  ago. 
By  the  Boulak  Museum  it  is  easily  proved  that  the 
glory  of  Egyptian  art  belonged  to  the  age  of  Cheops, 
its  decadence  to  that  of  Rameses  H.  The  collection, 
as  we  have  intimated,  throws  a  light  upon  Egyptian 
life  and  history  for  nearly  five  thousand  years  before 
the  Christian  era,  but  it  is  only  a  dim  light.  There 
can  be  but  little  consecutive  reading  of  these  isolated 
mementos.  They  afford  us  information  as  to  gener- 
alities only,  yet  add  link  after  link  to  a  chain  connect- 
ing those  long  past  centuries  with  the  present  time. 

18 


274  DUE    WEST. 

The  Mosque  of  Amer,  some  twelve  centuries  in 
age,  though  little  more  than  a  ruin,  is  still  of  consid- 
erable interest  to  the  traveler.  One  enters  the  walls 
of  an  oblong  court,  the  east  end  being  formed  of  a 
gallery  with  columns  inclosing  the  sanctuary.  The 
north  and  south  sides  are  inclosed  by  piazzas  with 
many  noble  columns.  There  are  two  hundred  and 
fifty  of  these,  formed  of  single  stones  of  granite  and 
porphyry,  which  are  known  to  have  come  from  Mem- 
phis and  Heliopolis.  The  whole  deserted  temple  con- 
stitutes the  most  important  monument  of  Arabian 
architecture  in  Cairo.  Seen  as  it  was  in  the  dull 
gray  of  early  morning,  before  the  sun  had  fairly 
lighted  the  well-preserved  minarets,  it  presented  a 
solemn  picture  of  faded  glory.  It  is  quite  as  much 
in  their  suggestiveness  as  in  what  they  exhibit  to  the 
eye,  that  these  decaying  monuments  interest  and  in- 
struct us.  The  mosque  was  erected  by  the  general 
whose  name  it  bears,  and  was  one  of  the  few  that 
escaped,  five  centuries  later,  the  fire  by  which  the 
Saracens  burned  Cairo  to  prevent  its  falling  into  the 
hands  of  the  invading  Christians. 

Let  us  not  forget  to  mention  a  brief  visit  to  those 
strange  fanatics,  the  whirling  dervishes,  in  witness- 
ing whose  singular  movements  one  is  at  a  loss 
whether  to  sigh  or  to  laugh.  To  the  young  the  per- 
formance suggests  that  of  the  circus,  and  until  wea- 
ried of  the  monotony  of  it,  is  perhaps  as  amusing ; 
but  to  the  more  thoughtful  observer  it  is  melancholy 
to  see  men  so  debase  themselves.  The  ring  in  which 
these  people  whirl  about  was  full  of  deluded  men,  on 
the  day  of  our  visit,  self-proclaimed  disciples.  About 
twenty  of  them  commenced  at  a  signal  to  turn  rap- 
idly about  on  their  heels  and  toes,  without  a  mo- 


EGYPTIAN  FANATICS,  275 

ment's  pause,  for  a  period  of  some  thirty  or  forty 
minutes,  to  the  monotonous  notes  of  a  fife  and  a  sort 
of  Chinese  tom-tom,  until  finally  their  brains  became 
addled,  and  they  fell  to  the  ground  in  a  species  of 
trance,  their  active  devotion  being  supposed  to  have 
thus  successfully  terminated.  The  howling  dervishes, 
seen  in  another  temple,  form  a  different  branch  of 
a  similar  style  of  worship  or  fanaticism ;  if  possible, 
still  more  senseless  than  that  already  described.  The 
bodily  motion  of  the  howlers  is  different,  and  is  ac- 
companied by  a  hoarse,  disagreeable  howling,  like 
that  of  a  pack  of  half-starved  wolves,  except  that  it 
is  done  to  a  certain  musical  accompaniment,  enabling 
the  participants  to  keep  time,  both  as  to  the  motion 
of  the  body  and  the  hideous  noise  which  they  make. 
The  motion  is  that  of  throwing  the  head  and  upper 
portion  of  the  body  forward,  and  bringing  it  back 
with  a  sudden  jerk,  which  would,  under  ordinary  cir- 
cumstances, break  a  man's  neck,  but  these  creatures 
are  used  to  it.  The  dervishes  wear  their  hair  long, 
which  adds  to  their  crazy  appearance,  by  covering 
their  faces  with  it  during  the  jerking  process,  the 
hair  flying  back  and  forth  with  each  movement. 
What  the  ecstatic  point  is  in  this  ridiculous  perform- 
ance was  not  apparent,  and  they  did  not  tumble  down 
overcome  by  unconsciousness.  It  is  supposed  that 
all  travelers  visit  them,  but  we  came  away  more  pun- 
ished than  entertained  or  interested  in  the  senseless 
exhibition. 

A  week  was  all  too  brief  a  period  to  pass  in  the 
Queen  City  of  the  East,  but  at  its  close  we  started 
by  rail  for  Ismailia,  the  little  town  which  is  located 
exactly  midway  on  the  great  canal  between  the  two 
seas,  at  the  Bitter  Lakes,  through  which  the  canal 


2t6  DUE  WEST, 

runs.  It  is  a  pretty  and  attractive  place  of  four  or 
five  thousand  inhabitants,  and  is  a  creation  of  the 
last  sixteen  years.  Here  we  observed  gardens  filled 
with  flowers  and  fruit  trees ;  vegetation  being  in  its 
most  verdant  dress,  promoted  by  irrigation  from  the 
neighboring  fresh-water  canal.  The  place  has  broad 
macadamized  streets,  and  a  capacious  central  square 
ornamented  with  large  and  thrifty  trees.  It  was 
here  that  the  representatives  of  all  nations  met  on  the 
occasion  of  the  inauguration  ceremony  on  the  com- 
pletion of  De  Lesseps'  grand  canal.  We  took  a  small 
mail  steamer  at  Ismailia  through  the  western  half  of 
the  canal  to  Port  Said,  which  is  the  Mediterranean 
terminus  of  the  great  artificial  river.  It  was  a  night 
trip,  but  had  it  been  by  daylight  would  have  afforded 
us  no  views.  We  passed  onward  between  two  lofty 
hills  of  sand,  the  sky  only  visible  overhead,  and  no 
vegetation  whatever  in  sight ;  no  birds,  no  animals, 
nothing  to  vary  the  monotony,  but  an  occasional 
dredging  machine,  when  we  stopped  at  what  are 
called  watering-stations.  The  reader  needs  hardly 
to  be  told  that  this  successful  enterprise  of  cutting  a 
canal  across  the  Isthmus  of  Suez  has  proved  a  vast 
and  increasing  advantage  to  the  commerce  of  the 
world.  Large  as  it  is,  and  under  the  best  of  manage- 
ment, it  has  already  proved  insufficient  for  the  busi- 
ness which  it  has  cieated,  rendering  a  second  parallel 
water-way  imperatively  necessary,  plans  for  which 
are  now  under  consideration.  At  present,  so  large  is 
the  demand  upon  its  facilities  that  "  blocks  "  and  se- 
rious delays  are  of  daily  occurrence.  That  there  will 
be  ample  and  remunerative  business  for  two  canals 
is  easily  demonstrable  by  the  statistics  of  the  original 
company,  which  show  a  most  remarkable  annual  in* 


BARRENNESS  OF  EGYPT.  277 

crease.  It  is  a  singular  fact  worthy  of  mention,  that, 
with  all  our  modern  improvements  and  progressive 
ideas,  the  Egyptians  were  centuries  before  us  in  this 
plan  of  shortening  the  path  of  commerce  between  the 
East  and  the  West,  or,  in  other  words,  of  connecting 
the  Red  Sea  with  that  of  the  Mediterranean  across 
the  Isthmus  and  through  the  Gulf  of  Suez. 

Government  engineers  determined  the  difference  of 
level  between  the  two  seas  by  careful  processes,  and 
the  investigation  showed  that  there  was  hardly  a 
perceptible  variation  between  the  Mediterranean  and 
the  arm  of  the  Indian  Ocean  formed  by  the  Red 
Sea.  The  same  fact  has  been  scientifically  settled 
regarding  the  Isthmus  of  Panama ;  while  measure- 
ments along  the  Pyrenees  have  established  the  same 
level  between  the  waters  of  the  Mediterranean  and 
the  Bay  of  Biscay.  The  traveler  in  navigating  these 
several  waters  cannot  but  realize  an  interest  in  such 
important  physical  facts. 

The  only  business  of  Port  Said  is  that  connected 
directly  or  indirectly  with  the  transshipment  of  ves- 
sels to  and  from  the  Red  Sea  by  way  of  Suez.  The 
town  contains  nothing  of  interest,  and  is  a  mere 
sandy  plain.  The  languages  spoken  are  French  and 
Arabic.  There  are,  counting  the  floating  population, 
some  eight  thousand  people  here,  not  more,  com- 
posed of  every  possible  nationality ;  while  the  social 
status  is  at  as  low  an  ebb  as  it  can  possibly  be.  The 
region  is  perfectly  barren,  —  like  Egypt  nearly  every- 
where away  from  the  valley  of  the  Nile,  which  en- 
riches an  extent  of  ten  or  twelve  miles  on  either  side 
of  its  course  by  the  annual  overflow,  to  an  amount 
hardly  to  be  realized  without  witnessing  its  effect. 
The  question  often  suggested  itself  as  to  how  camels, 


278  DUE    WEST. 

donkeys,  and  goats  could  pick  up  sufficient  nourish- 
ment, outside  of  this  fertile  belt,  to  sustain  life. 
Through  that  part  of  the  desert  which  we  passed  in 
coming  from  Suez  one  looked  in  vain  for  any  contin- 
uous sign  of  vegetation.  A  peculiarity  of  the  land 
is  the  entire  absence  of  woods  and  forests  ;  hence 
also  the  absence  of  wild  beasts,  only  hyenas,  jackals, 
and  wolves  being  found.  Here  and  there,  at  long 
intervals,  an  oasis  was  observed  like  a  smile  break- 
ing over  the  arid  face  of  nature  upon  which  a  settled 
gloom  rested  nearly  all  the  while.  Once  or  twice 
there  was  seen  a  cluster  of  solitary  palms  by  a  rude 
stone  wall,  hedged  in  by  a  little  patch  of  green  earth, 
about  which  a  few  camels  and  goats  were  quenching 
their  thirst  or  cropping  the  scanty  herbage.  Some 
Arabs,  in  picturesque  costumes,  lingered  hard  by. 
The  tents,  pitched  in  the  background,  were  of  the 
same  low,  fiat-topped,  coarse  camel's  hair  construc- 
tion as  these  desert  tribes  have  used  for  thousands 
of  years.  Such  groups  formed  true  Egyptian  pic- 
tures, which  are  so  often  seen  delineated  on  canvas. 

Egypt  has  only  her  ruins,  her  antiquity,  her  Bib- 
lical associations  to  give  her  interest  with  the  world 
at  large.  Japan  is  infinitely  to  be  preferred  in  any 
light  of  contemplation  ;  China,  even,  rivals  her  in  all 
natural  advantages ;  and  India  is  much  more  invit- 
ing. In  looking  at  Egypt  we  must  forget  her  pres- 
ent and  recall  her  past.  The  real  Egypt  is  not  the 
vast  territory  which  we  shall  find  laid  down  by  the 
geographers,  reaching  to  the  Indian  Ocean,  the  Red 
Sea,  and  embracing  equatorial  regions ;  it  is  and  was, 
even  in  the  days  of  the  Pharaohs  and  Ptoloraies,  the 
valley  of  the  Nile,  from  the  First  Cataract  to  the 
Mediterranean  Sea,  hemmed  in  by  the  Libyan  and 


THE  HISTORIC  EGYPTIAN.  279 

Arabian  deserts.  From  hence  came  to  the  rest  of 
the  world  so  much  of  art,  science,  and  philosophy; 
and  here  were  built  those  time-defying  monuments 
which  to-day  challenge  the  wonder  of  the  world. 

The  native  Egyptian,  the  fellah,  he  who  tills  the 
soil,  who  cultivates  by  irrigation  and  gathers  the  rich 
crops  of  the  valley,  is  of  a  fine  and  industrious  race, 
well-built,  broad-chested,  and  always  of  lithe  frame, 
altogether  a  fine  looking  and  vigorous  figure.  He 
has  a  manly,  oval  face,  a  broad  brow,  and  a  bronzed 
complexion,  with  brilliant  eyes,  fine  teeth,  and  nat- 
urally luxuriant  beard.  He  is  the  same  figure  his 
ancestors  were  six  thousand  years  ago,  as  represented 
on  the  tombs  and  temples  of  Thebes,  and  on  the 
slabs  of  Gizeh  in  the  Museum  at  Cairo.  He  still 
performs  his  work  in  the  nineteenth  century  just  as 
he  did  before  the  days  of  Moses,  scattering  the  seed 
and  working  the  shadoof.  He  is  little  seen  in  the 
cities ;  his  place  is  in  the  field ;  there  he  lives  and 
thrives.  Though  his  native  land  has  found  such 
various  masters  in  Greek  and  Roman,  Arab  and 
Turk,  he  has  never  lost  his  individuality.  He  has 
ever  been,  and  is  to-day,  the  same  historic  Egyptian. 
If  he  were  a  horse  in  place  of  a  man,  we  should  say 
of  him  that  he  was  of  a  pure,  uncontaminated  breed. 
The  women  when  young  are  very  handsome,  beauty 
being  the  first  present  Nature  gives  them  and  the 
first  she  takes  away.  They  are  exquisite  in  form, 
and  with  a  most  graceful  gait,  common  to  nearly  all 
Eastern  women,  who,  from  childhood,  carry  jars  of 
water  upon  their  heads,  thus  inducing  the  perfec- 
tion of  carriage.  It  made  us  feel  almost  angry  to  see 
them  tattooed,  their  nostrils  and  ears  pierced  with 
rings,  and  awkwardly  bedecked  with  cheap  jewelry, 


280  DUE   WEST. 

like  their  cruder  sisters  of  the  Malay  Archipelago, 
These  women  are  frequently  mothers  at  the  age  of 
fourteen,  and  work  as  industriously  in  the  field  as  at 
the  domestic  hearth.  The  words  ''  domestic  hearth  " 
are  used  in  a  conventional  manner,  as  their  houses 
generally  consist  of  one  room,  devoid  of  windows,  and 
a  door  so  low  as  to  render  it  necessary  to  stoop  in 
order  to  enter.  This  door  is  the  only  piece  of  wood 
in  the  structure,  which  is  composed  of  sun-dried  clay. 
These  dens,  so  utterly  unfit  for  human  beings,  are 
dark  and  dirty,  but  the  people  live  and  sleep  much 
in  the  open  air.  Such  abodes  are  the  natural  out- 
growth of  degradation  and  ignorance. 

We  waited  four  days  at  Port  Said  for  the  arrival 
of  the  P.  and  O.  steamship  Rome,  as  she  was  detained 
by  one  of  the  numerous  "  blocks ''  in  the  canal,  but 
finally  embarked  on  her  for  Malta  and  Gibraltar. 
The  Rome  is  a  five  thousand -ton  ship,  and  the  fa- 
vorite of  this  company's  extensive  fleet.  Four  days' 
sail,  covering  about  a  thousand  miles,  over  the  er- 
ratic waters  of  the  Mediterranean,  now  calm  and  now 
enraged,  brought  us  in  sight  of  Malta.  The  city  of 
Valetta  lies  immediately  on  the  shore ;  and  when  we 
dropped  anchor  in  the  snug  little  harbor,  we  were 
surrounded  by  lofty  forts,  frowning  batteries,  and 
high  stone  buildings  of  various  sorts.  There  are  two 
harbors,  in  fact,  known  as  Quarantine  Harbor  and 
Great  Harbor.  The  Rome  lay  in  the  former.  The 
island  is  about  twenty  miles  long  and  half  as  wide, 
and  had  a  place  in  historical  record  nearly  three  thou- 
sand years  ago.  We  were  not  prepared,  upon  land- 
ing, to  find  so  large  and  fine  a  city,  numbering,  as 
Valetta  does,  at  least  a  hundred  and  fifty  thousand 
inhabitants.     The  houses  are  all  large  stone  struc- 


ISLAND  OF  MALTA.  281 

tures,  many  of  which  are  architecturally  noticeable ; 
fronting  thoroughfares  of  good  width,  well-paved,  and 
in  fine  order,  an  aspect  of  cleanliness  and  freshness 
pervading  everything. 

Few  countries  have  known  so  many  changes  among 
their  rulers  as  has  this  Mediterranean  island.  Phoeni- 
cians, Greeks,  Carthaginians,  Romans,  Goths,  and 
Arabs  succeeded  each  other  before  our  era,  followed 
by  German,  French,  Spanish,  and  English  rulers. 
During  the  sovereignty  of  the  Grand  Masters  it  suf- 
fered the  curse  of  the  Inquisition,  until  the  Knights 
were  deposed  by  the  French,  and  that  hateful  and 
bloody  agent  of  the  Romish  Church  was  expelled. 
Not  more  heterogeneous  are  the  nationalities  under 
which  the  island  has  been  held  than  is  the  character 
of  its  dialects ;  indeed,  we  have  never  seen  written 
Maltese,  which,  as  spoken  by  the  populace,  is  a  mix- 
ture of  Arabic  and  Eastern  dialects.  Italian,  French, 
and  English  are  equally  in  use,  but  the  latter,  being 
now  the  official  tongue,  takes  precedence  among  the 
educated  classes. 

The  garrison  is  formed  of  some  three  or  four  thou- 
sand British  troops.  Many  of  the  streets  run  up  the 
steep  hill-side  on  which  the  town  stands,  and  are 
flanked  by  broad  stone  steps  for  foot  passengers,  the 
roadway  being  quite  inaccessible  for  vehicles.  The 
principal  thoroughfare  is  the  Strada  Reale,  nearly  a 
mile  long,  flanked  by  fine  and  attractive  stores,  shops 
displaying  choice  fancy  goods,  jewelry,  silks,  and 
laces ;  also  by  dwelling-houses  and  hotels ;  in  short, 
forming  a  busy  and  handsome  boulevard.  All  the 
dwelling-houses  over  the  stores  are  ornamented  by 
pleasant  iron  balconies,  where  the  residents  can  sit 
and  enjoy  the  cool  evening  breezes  after  the  hot  days 


282  DUE    WEST. 

that  linger  about  Malta  nearly  all  the  year  round. 
It  was  observed  that  the  town  was  lighted  by  a  com- 
plete gas  system.  There  is  a  large  and  imposing 
stone  opera  house,  of  fine  architectural  aspect,  orna- 
mented with  Corinthian  columns,  a  wide  portico,  and 
broad  steps  leading  up  to  the  same.  A  visit  to  the 
Church  of  St.  John  was  very  interesting.  It  was 
built  a  little  over  three  hundred  years  since  by  the 
Knights,  who  lavished  large  sums  of  money  upon  its 
erection  and  elaborate  ornamentation.  Statuary  and 
paintings  of  rare  merit  abound  within  its  walls,  and 
gold  and  silver  ornaments  render  the  altar  a  work  of 
great  aggregate  value.  The  entire  roof  of  the  church, 
which  is  divided  into  zones,  is  admirably  painted  by 
figures  of  such  proportions  as  to  look  of  life  size  from 
the  floor,  representing  prominent  Scriptural  scenes. 
The  excellence,  finish,  and  naturalness  of  the  figures 
challenged  special  attention  ;  it  was  difiicult  not  to 
believe  them  to  be  in  bas-relief.  On  inquiring  as 
to  their  authorship,  we  were  told  that  they  were  the 
work  of  Mattia  Preli,  an  enthusiastic  artist,  who 
spent  his  life  in  this  adornment,  refusing  all  remuner- 
ation for  his  labor,  content  to  live  frugally  that  he 
might  thus  exemplify  his  art  and  his  devotion.  He 
certainly  excelled  any  artist  with  whom  we  are  ac- 
quainted in  causing  figures  painted  on  a  flat  surface 
to  appear  to  the  spectator  far  below  them  to  stand 
out  with  statuesque  effect.  In  this  Church  of  St. 
John,  the  Knights  seemed  to  have  vied  with  each 
other  in  adding  to  its  ornaments  and  its  treasures, 
so  that  the  rich  marbles,  bas-reliefs,  and  mosaics  are 
almost  confusing  in  their  abundance.  The  floor  is 
closely  ornamented  with  inlaid  marble  slabs,  which 
cover  the  tombs  of  the  most  distinguished  Knights  of 
the  order  of  St.  John. 


FRUITS   OF  MALTA.  283 

The  famous  Dome  of  Mosta,  a  hamlet  some  three 
or  four  miles  from  Valetta,  was  pointed  out  to  us.  It 
seems  curious  that  this  village  church  should  be 
crowned  by  a  dome  larger  than  that  of  the  Pantheon 
or  St.  Peter's,  but  such  is  the  fact.  It  is  built  of  the 
yellow  stone  of  which  the  whole  island  consists.  We 
did  not  visit  Mosta,  but  were  told  that  it  was  a 
small  and  miserable  place.  The  story  of  the  church 
is  this  :  An  ancient  edifice  of  the  same  character 
stood  upon  the  spot,  but  a  new  one  of  larger  dimen- 
sions was  needed  to  accommodate  the  people.  It  was 
essential  that  it  should  be  on  the  same  site,  but  the 
old  one  could  not  be  removed  until  the  new  one  was 
ready.  To  meet  this  difficulty  the  modern  structure 
was  built  over  the  old  one,  and  so  this  remarkable 
dome  was  erected  without  scaffolding  within.  Its 
proportions  did  not  seem  particularly  fine,  but  the 
size  is  most  remarkable.  It  may  be  mentioned,  how- 
ever, that  Malta  has  some  ten  or  more  beautifully- 
formed  domes,  looming  up  into  the  azure  which  hangs 
over  the  Mediterranean. 

We  were  told  that  snow  is  not  known  in  Malta, 
but  that  ice  sometimes  forms  during  the  coldest  nights 
of  winter,  though  only  in  thin  layers,  the  climate  ap- 
pearing to  be  very  similar  to  that  of  southern  Italy. 
It  was  enrly  in  March,  but  the  trees  were  in  full 
bloom,  and  a  pleasant  appreciation  has  led  the  citi- 
zens to  plant  and  cultivate  fruit  trees  and  flowers  in 
abundance.  Among  the  fragrant  blossoms,  quick  to 
catch  the  eye,  were  those  of  the  peach,  pear,  orange, 
and  apple.  Indeed,  Valetta  seemed  to  be  clothed  in 
blossoms,  and  in  the  case  of  the  orange-trees  the  ripe 
fruit  was  also  to  be  seen  in  rich  yellow  plumpness. 
There  must  be  a  prevailing  refinement  of  taste  in  this 


284  DUE   WEST. 

island  city,  otherwise  the  abundance  of  flowers  offered 
on  the  Strada  Reale  would  not  find  purchasers.  Sev- 
eral kiosks  were  observed  erected  along  the  main 
thoroughfare,  whose  occupants  were  busy  making  up 
button-hole  bouquets,  as  well  as  arranging  larger  ones 
in  picturesque  combinations.  There  is  a  place  near 
the  harbor  named  Casal  Attand,  that  is,  the  "  Village 
of  Roses."  Casal,  in  Maltese,  signifies  village;  and 
there  is  also  Casal  Luca,  the  "  Village  of  Poplars  ;  " 
and  still  another,  Casal  Zebbug,  the  "  Village  of 
Olives."  A  simple  but  very  appropriate  system  of 
nomenclature. 

There  are  three  islands  in  the  Malta  group  :  Malta, 
Gozo,  and  Comino,  the  two  latter  being  so  small  as 
to  be  of  comparatively  little  importance,  and  the  cir- 
cumference of  the  whole,  judging  by  the  scale  of  the 
maps,  must  be  less  than  a  hundred  miles.  The  trade 
of  the  place  is  small,  though  it  exports  some  fruits, 
olives,  and  laces,  the  latter  a  specialty.  Visitors  al- 
ways leave  more  or  less  money  in  exchange  for  small 
mementos  of  the  island,  and  thus  aid  in  the  support 
of  the  various  fancy  goods  stores,  photograph,  and 
jewelry  shops  on  the  Strada  Reale.  The  Palace  of 
the  Grand  Knights  of  Malta,  whose  interesting  story 
has  so  long  entered  into  history  and  romance,  is  the 
most  inviting  object  to  the  traveler,  —  in  its  associa- 
tions quite  as  interesting  as  any  modern  palace.  One 
enters  the  lofty  corridors  with  a  throng  of  historical 
recollections  crowding  upon  the  memory.  It  is  a 
large  stone  building,  rather  imposing  in  its  exterior, 
and  within  is  divided  into  roomy  vestibules,  pict- 
ure-galleries, banqueting  hall,  hall  of  justice,  hall  of 
council,  chapel,  and  several  other  state  apartments. 
The  council  chamber  is  hung  in  Gobelin  tapestry  of 


ARMORY  OF  THE  KNIGHTS.  285 

great  original  cost  and  beauty,  imported  from  France 
nearly  three  centuries  ago.  These  remarkable  hang- 
ings are  crowded  with  colossal  figures  representing 
scenes  in  India,  Africa,  Europe,  and  America,  in  the 
latter  of  which  were  some  manifest  crudities.  The 
whole  is  in  a  singularly  good  state  of  preservation, 
both  as  regards  color  and  texture. 

The  Armory  of  the  Knights  is  a  large  hall  in  the 
same  building,  wherein  is  preserved  the  armor  and 
weapons  as  worn  by  them  in  actual  service,  besides 
specimens  of  guns  and  cannon  of  very  peculiar  mech- 
anism. Here,  too,  is  an  interesting  series  of  por- 
traits, representing  the  various  Grand  Masters  of  the 
order  of  St.  John.  Some  of  the  fire-arms  challenge 
attention,  from  the  fact  that  they  so  closely  resemble 
designs  and  samples  to  be  seen  in  Venice,  showing 
that » the  principle  of  the  modern  revolver  was  born 
and  partially  carried  out  centuries  before  the  ingeni- 
ous American,  Colonel  Colt,  perfected  a  weapon  which 
has  since  become  universal.  The  same  remark  will 
apply  to  the  principle  of  breech  -  loading  fire  -  arms, 
examples  of  which  may  here  be  seen  three  hundred 
years  old.  One  very  singular  cannon  was  observed, 
actually  made  from  closely  woven  rope,  so  strong  and 
compact  as  to  be  capable  of  bearing  a  discharge  with 
gunpowder,  and  which  had  once  seen  service  in  bat- 
tle. The  rusty  old  lances,  broken  spears,  and  dimmed 
sword-blades,  hanging  on  the  walls,  shadowed  by  the 
tattered  remnants  of  battle-flags  bearing  the  bloody 
marks  of  contests  in  which  they  had  taken  part,  were 
silent  but  suggestive  tokens  of  the  Crusades.  There 
are  many  relics  preserved  in  this  hall  besides  the 
weapons  and  armor,  consisting  of  written  documents 
and  illumined  books ;  indeed,  the  place  is  a  veritable 


286  DUE   WEST, 

museum  in  itself,  though  containing  nothing  except 
such  mementos  as  relate  to  the  history  of  this  most 
ancient  and  long  -  sustained  order  of  Knights  of  the 
Church.  This  hall  is  sure  to  remind  the  visitor  of  the 
Tower  of  London. 

We  strolled  through  the  elaborate  divisions  of  Fort 
St.  Angelo,  which  has  existed  as  a  fortification  for 
a  thousand  years,  and  from  its  overhanging  battle- 
ments obtained  a  pleasing  and  comprehensive  view 
of  the  island  and  its  surroundings.  Malta,  like  Gib- 
raltar and  Aden,  is  principally  important  as  a  for- 
tified station,  and  from  this  occupation  derives  its 
main  support.  The  system  of  armament  and  the 
garrison  here  maintained  are  complete  and  effective. 
The  lofty  fort  upon  which  we  stood  is  very  command- 
ing, in  a  military  point  of  view,  as  well  as  affording 
a  grand  prospect.  Valetta  lay  far  below  us,  .with 
its  white  buildings  and  thrifty,  business-like  aspect, 
its  many  blossoming  trees  giving  bits  of  delicate 
color  here  and  there.  Both  harbors,  with  their 
crowded  shipping  and  many  stately  warehouses,  were 
in  view.  In  Great  Harbor  there  floated  three  frown- 
ing, black  -  hulled,  iron -clad  monsters,  whose  open 
ports  and  protruding  cannon  showed  their  warlike 
purpose.  At  intervals  the  strains  of  a  marine  band 
came  from  on  board  one  of  them. 

The  blue  Mediterranean  stretched  far  away  to  the 
horizon,  dotted  here  and  there  by  the  picturesque 
maritime  rig  of  these  waters,  its  placid  surface,  now 
serene  and  quiet,  radiating  the  afternoon  light  like  a 
liquid  sapphire.  A  myriad  of  row-boats  shot  hither 
and  thither  over  the  waters  of  the  inner  harbor, 
painted  and  emblazoned  after  the  gaudy  Maltese 
fashion.      One  or  two  long   lines  of  dark,  curling 


AGAIN  AT  SEA,  287 

smoke  floating  among  the  distant  clouds,  pointed  out 
the  course  of  the  continental  steam-packets  bound 
east  or  west.  The  atmosphere  was  soft  and  summer- 
like. The  hum  of  the  busy  town,  far  below  us,  came 
up  on  the  air  like  the  drone  of  insects,  mingled  with 
the  soft  chimes  from  the  Church  of  St.  John.  It 
must  have  been  some  fete-day  in  Malta,  as  other  bells 
joined  in  the  chorus,  which  floated  with  mellow  ca- 
dence on  the  atmosphere.  We  had  observed  the  Mal- 
tese women  in  church  costume,  making  them  look  like 
a  bevy  of  nuns,  hastening  through  the  streets  during 
the  day,  and  doubtless  it  was  some  special  occasion 
which  drew  them,  with  their  prayer-books,  to  the  sev- 
eral altars.  Is  it  not  noticeable  everywhere  that  it 
is  the  women  who  respond  to  these  church  require- 
ments, while  the  men  coolly  smoke  their  cigars,  or 
gossip  about  business  on  the  Exchange  ? 

From  our  lofty  perch  on  the  battlements  of  Fort 
St.  Angelo,  we  saw  the  signal  for  sailing  displayed 
by  the  Rome,  and  knew  that  it  was  time  for  us  to 
hasten  on  board,  and  so  turned  our  faces  towards  the 
landing-place.  For  a  few  shillings,  flowers  enough 
to  beautify  our  cabins  were  purchased  on  the  way, 
forming  a  floral  display  as  pleasing  to  the  eye  as 
it  was  grateful  by  its  perfume.  Flowers,  "  the  air- 
woven  children  of  light,"  are  always  beautiful,  but 
especially  so  at  sea,  —  no  greater  contrast  being  pos- 
sible than  that  between  these  winsome  blossoms  and 
the  cold,  fretful  element  which  surrounds  the  ocean- 
bound  ship. 


CHAPTER  X. 

Voyage  through  the  Mediterranean.  —  Gibraltar  on  Sunday.  —  Beau* 
tiful  Alameda.  —  Visit  to  the  Famous  Fortress.  —  Wild  Monkeys. 
;— Cannon  and  Flowers.  —  Tangier.  —  Morocco.  —  Straits  of  Gib- 
raltar. —  A  Moorish  City  of  To-day Local  Scenes.  —  A  Private 

Museum  —  The  Governor's  Palace.  —  Rusty  Keys.  —  The  Typical 
Moor.  —  The  Slave  Market.  —  Oriental  Tableaux.  —  Visit  to  Wash- 
ington Mount.  —  A  Cup  of  Moorish  Coffee.  —  From  Gibraltar  to 
Malaga.  —  Spain.  —  The  City  of  Raisins  and  Sweet  Wine. 

The  sonorous  puff  of  the  steam-winch  told  us  that 
the  anchor  had  already  parted  from  its  hold  of  the 
land,  the  ship  glided  slowly  through  the  deep  waters 
like  a  huge  sea-monster,  the  tremulous  yibration  of 
the  hull  caused  by  the  regular  pluuge  of  the  screw 
was  resumed,  and  we  laid  our  course  once  more  west- 
ward. A  gale  of  wind  welcomed  us  back  to  the  sea, 
and  the  heavy  weather  forced  the  ship  on  a  southerly 
course.  In  our  passage  from  Malta  to  Gibraltar,  a 
distance  of  about  a  thousand  miles,  we  sighted  the 
shores  of  Africa,  the  headlands  of  Tripoli,  and  the 
coast  of  Morocco,  reaching  our  port  of  destination  at 
last,  prepared  to  testify  to  the  treacherous  and  rest- 
less nature  of  this  great  inland  sea. 

We  landed  at  Gibraltar  on  Sunday,  March  11th, 
and  in  our  walk  from  the  shore  to  the  quaint  old  tav- 
ern known  as  the  King's  Arms,  —  combining  much 
comfort  with  its  dinginess,  —  we  found  the  day  was 
but  partially  observed  as  one  of  rest.  The  stores  were 
mostly  open,  and  the  numerous  bar-rooms  noticeably 
so,  after  the  usual  style  in  Roman  Catholic  countries. 


PEOPLE   OF  GIBRALTAR.  289 

The  first  impression  was,  that  we  were  within  the 
precincts  of  a  large  fort  or  military  cantonment, 
every  other  person  being  in  uniform,  while  sentries 
and  cannon  were  as  plenty  as  at  Woolwich  or  West 
Point.  England  here  supports  a  garrison  of  from 
four  to  six  thousand  men  at  a  vast  expense,  but  it  is 
undoubtedly  quite  necessary  for  her  to  do  so,  as  it  is 
also  important  to  keep  a  well-organized  garrison  at 
Aden,  Prim,  Singapore,  and  Ceylon.  The  highway 
to  her  possessions  in  India  is  too  important  to  trust 
in  other  hands.  Hence  her  late  demonstration  in 
Egypt,  and  the  favor  with  which  government  looks 
upon  the  proposed  new  canal,  to  be  constructed 
nearly  parallel  with  that  now  existing,  and  which 
will  be  virtually  an  English  enterprise,  in  spite  of  M. 
de  Lesseps'  ingenious  devices  and  finesse. 

The  people  of  Gibraltar  are  of  a  mixed  nationality ; 
those  of  Penang  and  Singapore  are  scarcely  more  so. 
Here  we  have  English,  Portuguese,  Moors,  Spaniards, 
Italians,  with  some  Maltese.  The  occupation  of  these 
people  is  almost  entirely  that  of  sailors,  and  after 
deducting  the  garrison,  they  form  three  fourths  of 
the  population.  They  are  of  rather  a  quarrelsome 
disposition,  especially  as  the  large  number  of  bar- 
rooms is  a  constant  temptation  to  drink ;  but  the  po- 
lice arrangements  are  excellent,  and  all  are  kept  in 
due  subjection  by  the  ready  arm  of  discipline.  The 
place  is  virtually  under  martial  law  at  all  times,  and 
in  dealing  with  the  class  of  humanity  which  naturally 
congregates  here,  this  system  has  special  advantages. 
There  is  no  compounding  of  felony,  no  compromising 
with  crime.  If  the  laws  are  outraged,  the  ofiiender 
knows  he  will  be  iijstantly  arrested  and  punished, 
without  any  fear  of  popular  sympathy.  It  is  not  the 
.   19 


290  DUE   WEST. 

severity,  so  much  as  the  certainty  of  punishment, 
-which  causes  the  reckless  and  abandoned  element  of 
society  to  respect  good  and  wholesome  laws.  Pun- 
ishment of  crime  is  swift  and  sure  at  Gibraltar. 

The  military,  warlike  aspect  of  everything  is  par- 
tially relieved  by  a  very  spacious  public  garden  and 
promenade  combined,  located  at  that  portion  of  the 
place  known  as  Europa  Point,  just  outside  the  gates 
of  the  city  proper  on  the  seaward  side.  These  gar- 
dens being  upon  a  sloping  hill -side  are  terraced,  or 
divided  into  three  plains,  about  which  are  planted, 
with  regularity,  a  variety  of  fine  and  thrifty  trees,  as 
well  as  many  beautiful  flowers,  the  whole  forming 
a  charming  Alameda.  The  broad  graveled  paths  are 
bordered  by  sweet-scented  geraniums,  the  scarlet  and 
pink  growing  wild  ;  verbenas,  coronella,  and  roses  of 
many  species,  mingle  artistically  with  the  statues 
and  fountains  interspersed  about  the  grounds.  To 
all  of  this,  just  across  a  stretch  of  blue  water,  Africa 
forms  a  background.  The  military  band  plays  here 
once  or  twice  each  week,  adding  to  the  natural  at- 
tractions of  the  spot ;  but  there  is  such  an  almost  en- 
tire absence  of  social  life,  or  refined  society  at  the 
rock,  that  we  imagine  few  people,  except  children 
and  nurses,  improve  the  advantages  of  the  Alameda. 
A  walk  through  the  principal  street,  known  as  Wa- 
terport  Street,  lined  with  low  drinking  places,  tav- 
erns, or  lodging-houses,  junk  stores,  and  cigar  shops, 
would  not  lead  one  to  expect  the  population  to  be 
of  the  sort  to  appreciate  good  music,  or  to  enjoy  a 
quiet  promenade  in  well-kept  grounds.  Of  course 
there  are  exceptions  to  this  deduction,  and  there  are 
a  few  delightful  people,  appreciative  and  cultured, 
at  Gibraltar;    but  it  must  seem  like  being  buried 


THE  FORTIFICATIONS  AT  GIBRALTAR.    291 

alive  to  make  one's  residence  in  such  an  unattractive 
place. 

Through  the  kind  assistance  of  the  American  Con- 
sul we  obtained  a  special  permit  to  visit  the  fortifi- 
cations, particularly  of  that  portion  which  forms  the 
lofty  and  impregnable  citadel.  It  is  difficult  to  de- 
cide in  this  most  remarkable  fortress  whether  nature 
or  art  has  done  the  most  to  render  it  what  it  seems 
absolutely  to  be,  impregnable,  — the  strongest  citadel 
in  the  world.  The  improvements  in  modern  gunnery 
have  lately  caused  important  additions  and  altera- 
tions to  be  made.  A  hundred-ton  gun  was  landed 
fresh  from  England  while  we  were  at  the  rock.  One 
natural  cave  which  was  visited,  in  the  system  of  forti- 
fied apartments,  with  port-holes  commanding  a  broad 
sweep,  was  large  enough  to  contain  a  regiment  of  sol- 
diers ;  and  the  entire  rock,  fifteen  hundred  feet  high, 
seems  honey-combed  with  small  connected  caves,  sup- 
plied with  cannon  commanding  all  approaches,  by 
land  or  sea.  We  asked  the  officer  who  accompanied 
us  how  it  would  be  possible  for  men  to  work  these 
heavy  guns  in  such  circumscribed  space  as  character- 
ized many  of  the  galleries.  "  Why  ?  "  he  asked  in 
turn.  "  Because,"  we  added,  "  of  the  concussion,  re- 
verberation, and  the  density  of  accumulated  smoke." 
He  smiled,  and  replied :  "  There  is  something  in 
that ! "  The  fact  is,  the  deafening  reechoing  of 
sound  would  prove  fatal  to  gunners  in  a  very  short 
time,  if  suffocation  itself  did  not  ensue.  We  were 
told  that  all  recently  constructed  batteries  at  the 
rock  are  left  open  to  the  sky,  which  would  seem 
to  indicate  that  the  government  engineers  recognize 
these  simple  facts. 

The  largest  cave,  called  St.  Michael's,  is  eleven 


292  DUE   WEST. 

hundred  feet  above  the  sea  level,  with  lofty  halls 
sixty  feet  high  and  two  or  three  hundred  feet  long. 
Here  many  fossil  human  remains  have  been  found 
from  time  to  time.  The  fortress  is  constantly  so 
provisioned  with  stores,  and  such  arrangements  are 
perfected  for  a  water  supply,  that  with  but  a  few 
days',  nay,  possibly  a  few  hour's  notice,  it  could  be 
put  in  a  condition  to  withstand  a  year's  siege.  Don- 
keys were  employed  to  ascend  the  steep  and  winding 
path  which  leads  to  the  top  of  the  lookout  station, 
for  it  is  a  tedious  climb.  Wherever  soil  could  get 
holding  place  upon  the  face  of  the  cliff,  wild  flowers 
had  burst  forth  and  were  thriving  after  their  own 
lovely  fashion.  Here  were  daturas  and  daphnes 
mingled  with  heliotrope ;  the  latter  so  overgrown  as 
to  be  a  small  tree  rather  than  a  shrub.  Stooping 
down  to  gather  some  of  these,  we  looked  into  a  can- 
non's mouth,  a  screened  battery,  —  screened  by  helio- 
trope and  blooming  heath !  Further  up  we  came 
upon  the  face  of  the  rock  looking  towards  the  south- 
east, where  the  wild  monkeys  claim  undisputed  pos- 
session :  their  home  for  centuries  past.  They  are 
quite  a  recognized  institution  here,  though  they  must 
be  satisfied  with  very  frugal  fare,  the  stunted  vegeta- 
tion affording  but  small  variety.  It  may  be  doubted 
if  they  are  very  gentle  or  amiable  creatures  ;  for  when 
it  was  discovered  that  they  were  becoming  gradually 
extinct  a  few  years  ago,  some  were  imported  from 
Africa  to  recruit  their  numbers  ;  but  no  sooner  were 
the  foreigners  let  loose  near  the  spot,  than  the  Gib- 
raltar monkeys  resisted  the  intrusion,  and  soon  killed 
every  one  of  the  new-comers. 

On  the  north  side  of  the  rock  we  visited  some  half- 
artificial,  half -natural  galleries,  from  whence  scores 


OLD  MOORISH  CASTLE.  293 

of  grim  muzzled  guns  of  heavy  calibre  command  the 
Neutral  Ground,  which,  so  far  as  England  controls  it, 
is  also  entirely  undermined,  ready  to  be  sprung  upon 
the  approach  of  an  enemy  on  the  land  side.  On  our 
winding  way  to  the  summit,  or  signal  station,  we 
often  found  the  path  lined  with  asphodel  and  palmi- 
tos,  while  at  the  very  top,  where  the  signal  sergeant 
has  a  small  house,  was  a  pretty  sheltered  garden  of 
pansies,  tulips,  pinks,  and  roses,  daintily  arranged  by 
some  woman's  hand.  The  remarkable  view  from  this 
elevation  was  of  vast  extent,  and  truly  magnificent ; 
especially  to  seaward,  where  the  straits  were  plenti- 
fully sprinkled  with  the  white  wings  of  conmaerce,  full- 
rigged  ships  assuming  the  proportions  of  sea-gulls,  and 
steamers  only  visible  by  the  dark  line  of  smoke  trail- 
ing in  their  wake.  At  the  foot  of  the  rock,  on  the 
Spanish  side,  lay  the  town,  a  thick  mass  of  yellow, 
white,  and  red  houses ;  and  nestling  near  the  shore 
was  quite  a  fleet  of  shipping,  looking  like  maritime 
toys.  The  mountain  ranges  of  Ceuta  and  Andalusia, 
on  opposite  continents,  were  mingled  with  soft,  over- 
shadowing clouds,  while  over  our  heads  was  a  glori- 
ous dome  of  turquoise  blue  such  as'  no  temple  reared 
by  man  could  imitate. 

One  of  the  few  fragments  of  antiquity,  which  meets 
the  eye  of  the  tourist  at  Gibraltar,  is  the  remains  of 
the  ancient  Moorish  castle  located  on  the  west  side, 
about  half  way  up  the  steep  acclivity  of  the  fortifica- 
tions. A  crumbling  wall  extends,  after  a  crooked 
fashion,  down  from  the  main  structure  towards  the 
shore.  Where  everything  else  is  so  trim  and  orderly, 
this  famous  remnant  of  the  barbaric  ages  seems 
strangely  out  of  place  ;  but  it  would  be  a  positive 
sacrilege  to  remove  it.     It  has  stood  some  stout  blows 


294  DUE   WEST. 

and  heavy  shot  in  its  day,  and  they  have  left  their 
deep  indentures  on  the  moss-grown,  crumbling  stones. 
The  Moors  held  sovereignty  over  the  Rock  for  more 
than  seven  hundred  years,  and  the  old  tower  stands 
there  as  a  sort  of  black-letter  record  of  these  ages. 
The  merciless  finger  of  Time  has  been  more  fatal  to 
it  than  shot  and  shell. 

We  embarked  on  the  small  coasting  steamer  Leon 
Beige  for  a  passage  across  the  Straits  of  Gibraltar, 
which  separate  Europe  from  Africa,  landing  at  Tan- 
gier, Morocco,  the  distance  being  some  seventy  or 
eighty  miles.  The  sea  is  always  rough  between  the 
two  continents,  quite  as  much  so  as  in  the  channel 
between  France  and  England.  Our  little  craft  was 
neither  very  steady  nor  very  dry  under  the  experience. 
As  we  drew  away  from  the  Spanish  shore,  the  long 
range  of  Andalusian  mountains  stood  out,  compact 
and  clear,  Avith  their  snow-white  summits  sparkling 
in  the  bright  morning  sun.  On  the  lowlands,  sloping 
to  the  water's  edge,  the  fields  were  robed  in  a  soft 
green  attire,  and  dotted  with  herds  of  goats  and  cat- 
tle. Old  stone  watch-towers  lined  the  shore  at  regu- 
lar intervals,  and  coast-guard  houses  sheltering  squads 
of  soldiers,  for  this  region  is  famous  as  the  resort  of 
smugglers.  On  the  opposite  coast  of  Africa  the 
Ceuta  range  grew  every  moment  more  distinct ;  the 
loftiest  peaks  were  also  mantled  with  snow,  like  the 
white  flowing  drapery  of  the  Bedouins.  Still  further 
on,  dazzlingly  white  hamlets  enlivened  the  Morocco 
shore,  with  deep  green  tropical  verdure  in  the  back- 
ground, while  Ceuta  attracted  more  than  ordinary 
interest.  It  is  a  Spanish  penal  colony,  surrounded 
by  jealous,  warlike  Moors,  slave-traders  and  smug- 
glers.    If  we  are  to  believe  the  stories  told  by  our 


TANGIER.  295 

captain,  it  must  be  one  of  the  most  dangerous  and 
uncivilized  spots  on  the  face  of  the  globe. 

Tangier  stands  on  the  western  shore  of  a  shallow 
bay,  upon  a  sloping  hill -side,  but  is  not  at  all  im- 
pressive as  one  approaches  it.  The  windowless  houses 
rise  like  cubical  blocks  of  masonry  one  above  an- 
other dominated  by  a  few  square  towers  which  crown 
the  several  mosques,  while  here  and  there  a  consular 
flag  floats  lazily  upon  the  air  from  a  lofty  pole.  The 
rude  zigzag  wall  which  surrounds  the  city  is  seen 
stretching  about  it,  and  this  is  pierced  by  three 
gates  which  are  carefully  closed  at  night. 

Cairo  is  Oriental,  but  Tangier  is  much  more  so. 
Here  we  seem  at  one  step  to  have  passed  from  mod- 
ern civilization  into  barbarism.  There  is  no  Euro- 
pean quarter  in  Tangier ;  every  evidence  of  the  prox- 
imity of  the  opposite  continent  disappears  ;  the  dis- 
tance might  be  immeasurable.  It  is  Moorish  from 
one  end  to  the  other ;  the  very  atmosphere  and  pre- 
vailing odors  announce  it.  It  has  little,  narrow, 
dirty,  twisted  streets,  through  which  no  vehicle  could 
pass,  and  only  accessible  for  donkeys,  camels,  and  foot 
passengers  ;  there  is  no  such  thing  as  a  wheeled  ve- 
hicle in  the  place.  The  women  veiled,  but  scantily 
clad  in  some  thin  white  texture,  move  about  like  un- 
easy spirits,  while  one  meets  constantly  an  humbler 
class,  clad  in  a  short  blue  cotton  skirt,  with  little 
naked  brown  babies  astride  of  one  shoulder.  The 
men,  with  scarlet  turbans  and  striped  robes,  lounge 
about  with  their  bare  heels  sticking  out  of  yellow 
slippers.  There  is  no  spirit  of  hospitality  here,  no 
welcome  to  be  read  in  those  frowning  bearded  faces. 
Strangers  are  not  liked,  and  are  only  tolerated  for  the 
shekels  that  can  be  extracted  or  robbed  from  them. 


296  '  DUE   WEST. 

Now  we  meet  a  wild,  tawny  Arab,  a  straggling  son 
of  the  desert,  his  striped  abba,  or  white  bournous, 
hanging  in  graceful  folds  about  his  straight  figure; 
and  now  a  Nubian  with  only  a  waistcloth.  Jews  with 
dark  blue  caftans  and  red  sashes ;  and  Jewesses  in 
bright  purple  silk,  with  uncovered,  handsome  faces. 
Here  and  there  is  seen  a  Maltese  or  Portuguese  sailor, 
hiding  on  account  of  some  crime  by  which  he  has 
outraged  the  laws  on  the  opposite  continent.  The 
Jews,  though  numerous,  are  hated  and  oppressed,  be- 
ing the  descendants  of  those  exiled  from  Europe  in 
the  Middle  Ages.  The  variety  of  races  which  one 
meets  in  these  contracted  passage-ways  is  curious, 
represented  by  faces  yellow,  bronze,  white,  and  black. 
Add  to  all  the  crowd  of  donkey-boys,  camels,  goats, 
and  street  peddlers,  crying,  bleating,  blustering,  and 
braying,  and  you  have  a  modern  Babel  of  sights  and 
sounds  such  as  greet  the  stranger  in  the  streets  of 
this  Moorish  capital. 

After  strolling  for  a  while  through  the  steep, 
ill -paved  lanes,  which  were  a  perfect  exposition  of 
crookedness,  we  were  brought  by  our  guide  to  the 
house  of  the  Belgian  Consul,  a  curious  structure  in 
the  Moorish  style,  more  of  a  museum  than  a  dwell- 
ing-house. Here  the  resident  ofl&cial,  who  has  long 
filled  the  post,  has  gathered  about  him  a  collection 
of  articles,  antique  and  modern;  but  all  representa- 
tive of  Morocco  and  its  surrounding  countries.  The 
collection  was  of  warlike  arms  of  all  sorts,  domestic 
implements,  armor,  dress  ornaments  of  both  sexes, 
saddlery,  pipes,  rude  native  pictures,  precious  stones, 
and  the  like ;  the  whole  forming  a  special  historical 
record  which  would  be  highly  valuable  in  any  Eu- 
ropean centre.     It  is  surprising,  when  one  indulges 


GOVERNOR'S  PALACE  AT  TANGIER.     297 

in  a  specialty,  what  a  valuable  collection  can  be 
gathered,  and  of  what  general  interest  it  is  sure  to 
prove.  From  this  Oriental  museum  we  were  taken 
to  the  Governor's  Palace,  where  we  met  his  Excel- 
lency, sitting  cross  -  legged  on  the  floor  of  a  small 
court,  at  the  entrance  of  the  ancient  and  dilapidated 
structure.  He  was  surrounded  by  a  dozen  most  ras- 
cally-looking be-turbaned  councillors,  who,  after  we 
had  been  shown  over  the  palace,  were  none  of  them 
above  taking  a  shilling  fee.  The  building  was  very 
queerly  cut  up,  with  tiled  roofs  at  all  sorts  of  angles, 
bay  windows,  projecting  apartments,  as  though  hung 
in  air,  and  ample  space  for  the  harem,  with  its  bath- 
rooms, reception  rooms,  and  many  cozy  nooks  and 
corners  whose  use  was  quite  past  finding  out.  Be- 
sides there  were  ugly  dungeons  in  the  basement,  en- 
tirely underground,  like  those  of  the  Doge's  Palace 
at  Venice ;  and  in  strong  contrast  to  which  there 
were  courts  of  greenery,  where  the  thick,  glossy 
leaves  of  the  orange-trees  set  off  the  fragrant  blos- 
soms in  a  most  artistic  manner,  and  where  the  rank, 
neglected,  undergrowth  but  half  hid  what  must  in 
former  times  have  been  a  beautiful  flower  garden. 
There  was  still  a  heavy  myrtle  border,  and  here  and 
there  a  sweet  little  flower  struggling  for  existence. 
The  denizens  of  the  harem  must  once  have  tended 
and  petted  these  flowers  ;  but  the  cold,  stone-latticed 
apartments  were  all  vacant  now,  the  floors  damp  and 
slippery  with  moss  and  dirt.  Desolation  was  clearly 
written  upon  the  walls. 

This  Governor's  Palace  is  anything  but  a  palace 
now.  A  portion  of  the  building  was  improved  as 
a  dwelling  for  his  Excellency,  who  sat  soberly  and 
silently  discussing  his  long-stemmed  pipe  with  Orien- 


298  DUE   WEST. 

tal  indifference,  as  we  came  through  the  outer  court 
on  our  departure.  In  visiting  the  several  divisions  of 
the  palace,  there  had  been  found  one  section  where 
the  keys  were  missing,  and  this  led  to  some  delay 
while  the  custodian  tried  to  procure  them,  the  door 
being  finally  forced  opqn  by  a  slight  physical  effort. 
On  coming  out  a  number  of  rusty  keys  were  observed 
upon  the  wall,  causing  us  to  remark  that  the  missing 
one  might  be  among  them  ;  whereupon  the  guide  told 
us  that  these  were  of  a  different  character,  —  keys 
brought  from  Spain  when  the  Moors  were  expelled 
thence,  and  now  held  sacred  as  heir-looms.  This  was 
only  a  casual  remark,  but  yet  one  which  came  back 
to  us  with  special  emphasis,  as  will  by  and  by  be 
explained. 

As  we  were  about  to  mount  our  donkeys  a  dig- 
nified individual  took  the  guide,  with  whom  he  was 
evidently  acquainted,  one  side  for  a  moment.  He 
would  have  been  noticeable  anywhere  as  a  man  of 
character,  a  typical  Moor.  Mixed  as  the  population 
of  Tangier  is,  still  one  easily  individualizes  the  sev- 
eral races,  and  above  all  cannot  fail  to  admire  the 
noble,  manly  specimens  of  Moorish  blood.  They  are 
naturally  broad,  yet  light,  with  figures  faultlessly 
straight  without  stiffness ;  the  arms  are  set  well  back 
and  are  carried  with  peculiar  grace,  while  a  general 
dignity  of  bearing  is  always  observable.  The  eyes 
are  large  and  receding,  the  nose  aquiline,  features 
regular,  with  a  rather  large  mouth  and  brilliantly 
fine  teeth.  We  could  not  but  look  critically  at  the 
Moor  who  was  engaged  for  the  moment  with  our 
guide,  for  he  was  a  good  representative  of  that  proud 
race  which  in  its  glory  built  palaces  like  the  Alham- 
bra,  and  such  mosques  as  that  at  Cordova. 


SLAVE-TRADE  IN  MOROCCO.  299 

Our  leisure  moments  here  were  passed  in  stroll- 
ing through  the  queer  native  bazars ;  examining  the 
mosques,  from  the  towers  of  which  at  sunset  we  heard 
the  Muezzin  call  to  prayer ;  and  in  visiting  the  slave 
market,  just  outside  of  the  city  walls,  where  business 
is  prosecuted  though  not  so  extensively  as  heretofore. 
These  slaves  are  mostly  prisoners  of  war,  sold  by  na- 
tive chieftains  in  Guinea  to  Morocco  merchants,  who 
drive  them,  chained  together  in  long  strings,  from 
market  to  market  until  disposed  of  for  the  harems  or 
as  laborers.  The  sales  take  place  always  on  the 
Sabbath,  regarded  as  a  sort  of  holiday.  The  aver- 
age price  of  the  women  and  girls  is  from  fifty  to 
sixty  dollars,  according  to  age  and  good  looks.  The 
men  vary  much  in  price,  frequently  selling  at  much 
lower  figures,  according  to  the  demand  for  labor. 
About  the  large  open  space  near  the  slave  mart  were 
congregated  groups  of  camels  and  their  Bedouin 
owners,  who  had  just  arrived  from  the  interior,  bring- 
ing native  goods,  with  dried  fruits,  to  market,  form- 
ing an  assembly  such  as  can  only  be  found  on  the 
borders  of  the  desert,  and  which,  indeed,  would  be 
utterly  out  of  place  except  beneath  the  glow  and 
shimmer  of  an  African  sun. 

There  were  men,  women,  children,  and  animals, 
each  little  group  a  family,  picturesque  in  their  squa- 
lor and  their  coarseness.  Their  brown,  flat  tents  were 
of  the  same  shape  and  material  as  those  we  had  seen 
between  Suez  and  Ismailia.  Naked  children  and  half- 
clad  mothers  peeped  at  us  out  of  their  canvas  homes, 
or  raised  their  heads  above  the  awkward  saddles  and 
trappings  of  the  kneeling  camels,  behind  which  they 
reposed.  The  docile,  uncouth,  buff -colored  beasts 
were  soberly  chewing  their  cuds,  and  resting  after 


300  DUE   WEST, 

their  long  and  weary  journey.  It  was  a  striking 
scene,  which  an  artist  would  have  traveled  far  to 
sketch,  lying  under  a  warm,  hazy,  atmospheric  cover- 
ing, so  peculiar  to  Egypt  and  Africa,  with  the  rough, 
red  stone  walls  of  the  city  for  a  background,  and  the 
arched  Moorish  gateway  at  the  side.  Here  and  there 
were  to  be  seen  dapple-gray  horses  of  unmistakable 
Arab  breed,  animals  which  any  rich  European  would 
have  been  proud  to  own.  In  one  instance,  seeing  a 
fine  full-bred  mare  and  her  foal  lying  down  amid  a 
family  group,  the  children  absolutely  between  the 
mother's  legs,  who  was  untethered,  and  the  colt  also 
extended  on  the  ground  with  them,  at  our  request 
the  guide  asked  of  the  sober  old  Arab,  who  sat  cross- 
legged,  smoking  by  the  entrance  of  the  tent,  what  he 
would  sell  us  the  horse  and  colt  for.  *'  Tell  your 
chief,"  was  his  answer,  "  there,  is  not  enough  money 
coined  to  purchase  them."  This  was  a  good  and  in- 
dependent response.  "  But,"  added  the  guide,  "  he 
will  sell  you  his  wife,  or  any  of  the  children  !  "  We 
were  contented  with  purchasing  some  fresh  dates 
from  an  itinerant,  who  cried  them  in  good,  sonorous 
Arabic,  "  O  dates,  in  the  name  of  the  Prophet !  "  and 
got  most  iniquitously  cheated,  both  in  quality  and  in.- 
price,  according  to  the  guide. 

At  sunrise,  on  the  morning  following  our  arrival, 
mules  were  ready  at  the  door,  and  we  started  off, 
laughing  merrily  over  the  crude  saddlery  and  other 
untoward  fittings  of  the  animals.  Ladies'  side-sad- 
dles are  yet  a  myth  in  Morocco.  We  were  bound 
for  Washington  Mount,  a  league  or  two  outside  the 
city  walls,  where  the  American  Minister,  several  for- 
eign consuls,  and  a  few  rich  merchants  of  European 
birth  make  their  homes,  in  handsome  modern  villas, 


BEAUTIES   OF  SCENERY.  301 

surrounded  by  perennial  gardens  and  orchards.  The 
vegetation  was  often  so  rank  as  to  overhang  the 
narrow  and  steep  roads  up  which  we  wended  our  way. 
They  were  so  thick  with  agave  and  prickly  pear,  that 
we  could  hardly  keep  upright  in  the  saddle.  The  tre- 
foil, honeysuckle,  myrtle,  and  white  convolvulus  grew 
in  rank  profusion,  with  occasional  pale  pink,  single- 
leaved  roses.  Over  the  hedges  in  the  private  grounds, 
though  it  was  early  in  March,  we  saw  the  orange-trees 
and  pomegranates,  the  former  laden  with  large,  yel- 
low fruit,  and  the  latter  blushing  crimson  with  flow- 
ers among  companion  palms,  figs,  and  olives.  On  the 
way  through  the  meadow,  before  coming  to  the  as- 
cent, the  ground  was  enameled  with  a  pale  blue  daisy, 
which  the  guide  told  us  was  perennial  here.  After 
an  hour's  ride,  emerging  upon  the  high,  open  plateau, 
there  burst  upon  our  eyes  a  most  enchanting  view. 
The  far-reaching  waters  of  the  Mediterranean  seemed 
to  surround  the  land  upon  which  we  were.  Looking 
off  towards  the  Spanish  coast,  a  few  white  sails  inter- 
vened to  give  character  to  the  maritime  scene ;  while 
a  large  steamship  was  making  the  passage  of  the 
straits,  leaving  behind  her  a  long  line  of  dense  smoke. 
How  suggestive  was  that  expanse  of  waters,  the  most 
interesting  of  all  known  seas ;  its  shores  hallowed  by 
associations  connected  with  the  entire  progress  of  civ- 
ilization ;  the  cradle,  as  it  has  been  aptly  called,  of 
the  human  race,  the  battle-field  of  the  world,  and 
still  the  connecting  link  between  Europe,  Asia,  and 
Africa. 

All  around  us,  upon  the  sloping  hill  -  side,  were 
delightful  villas,  painted  in  bright  colors,  and  half 
buried  in  thrifty  foliage,  each  located  in  an  atmos- 
phere redolent  of  fruits  and  flowers ;  its  front  ever 


802  DUE   WEST. 

open  to  that  glorious  sea-view.  The  broad  piazzas 
of  these  smiling  homes  were  hung  with  hammocks, 
telling  of  luxurious  out  -  door  life.  Family  groups 
could  be  seen  taking  their  morning  coffee  on  the  ve- 
randas; and  the  voices  of  many  children  rang  out 
clear  and  bird-like,  floating  up  to  the  eyrie  where  we 
were  perched.  Down  towards  the  shore  lay  brown, 
dingy,  dirty  Tangier,  with  its  mud -colored  groups 
of  tiled  roofs,  its  teeming  population,  its  mouldy  old 
walls  and  arched  gates,  and  its  minarets,  square  and 
dominant.  On  our  way  back,  we  again  passed 
through  the  slave  market,  and  saw  a  freshly  arrived 
caravan  pitching  their  tents  after  a  long  and  weary 
journey.  A  snake-charmer  was  busy  amusing  an 
idle  group  of  boys  and  girls  in  one  of  the  small 
squares,  and  a  group  of  dancing  girls,  with  tambour- 
ines and  castanets,  looked  wistfully  at  us,  hoping  to 
get  an  audience;  but  our  yet  unhonored  breakfast 
awaited  us,  and  the  mountain  excursion  had  imparted 
healthful  appetites. 

It  was  quite  the  thing  to  patronize  one  of  the  little 
dingy  caf^s,  and  so  we  patiently  endured  the  punish- 
ment of  drinking  an  egg-shell  cup  of  a  muddy  com- 
pound called  coffee,  but  nothing  short  of  compulsion 
would  have  induced  a  repetition  of  the  same.  A  dose 
of  senna  would  have  been  ambrosia  compared  to  it. 
In  passing  through  a  narrow  court  we  saw  a  group  of 
children  sitting  cross-legged,  in  a  circle,  on  the  floor 
of  an  open  house,  with  books  in  their  hands,  presided 
over  by  a  sage -looking  Moorish  party,  with  long, 
snow-white  beard,  and  deep -set  dark  eyes  that 
seemed  to  burn  like  gas  jets.  The  guide  explained 
that  it  was  a  native  school ;  and  the  children,  who 
were  all  talking  aloud  at  the  same  time,  in  a  drawl- 


DOMESTIC  AND  STREET  SCENES.       303 

ing,  sing-song  tone,  swaying  back  and  forth  inces- 
santly, were  learning  their  lessons.  When  we  in- 
quired what  special  branch  was  being  taught  them, 
he  answered  :  "  The  Koran ;  they  learn  it  from 
the  beginning  to  the  end."  "And  is  that  all  the 
instruction  imparted  to  them  ?  "  we  asked.  "  Of 
course,"  he  replied ;  "  what  else  do  they  require  in 
Morocco  ?  " 

The  houses  were  more  like  toys  than  dwelling- 
places,  they  were  so  very  small,  rarely  of  more  than 
one  story,  the  walls  whitewashed  to  such  a  degree  as 
to  be  almost  blinding.  Now  and  then  the  monotony 
was  broken  by  an  arabesque  window,  but,  as  a  rule, 
there  were  none  opening  outward ;  like  all  Moorish 
houses,  they  had  a  small  inner  court  upon  which  doors 
and  windows  opened,  thus  avoiding  being  overlooked, 
and  promoting  the  seclusion  of  the  harem,  which 
seems  to  be  the  first  and  foremost  idea  of  the  Eastern 
people.  Nearly  the  last  sound  that  greeted  our  ears 
as  we  walked  down  over  the  irregular  pavements, 
and  through  the  narrow  lanes  towards  the  pier  from 
whence  we  were  to  embark,  was  the  rude  music  of 
the  snake-charmer;  and  the  last  impressive  sight 
was  that  of  a  public  story-teller,  in  one  of  the  lit- 
tle squares,  in  earnest  gesticulation,  as  with  a  high- 
pitched,  shrill  voice  he  related  to  a  group  of  women, 
who  were  squatted  in  their  white  haiks,  and  men  of 
the  desert  in  their  hooded  gehabs,  what  the  guide 
told  us  was  a  chapter  from  the  "  Thousand  and  One 
Nights  ! "  We  embarked  once  more  on  board  the  lit- 
tle Leon  Beige  for  Gibraltar,  well  pleased  with  our 
brief  visit  to  the  curious  Moorish  capital. 

The  Sultan  of  Morocco  is  supreme,  and  holds  the 
lives   and  fortunes  of  his  subjects  at  his  will.     He 


304  DUE   WEST. 

is  judge  and  executor  of  laws  which  emanate  solely 
from  himself.  Taxation  is  so  heavy  as  to  amount  to 
prohibition  in  many  departuients  of  enterprise.  All 
exportation  is  hampered,  agriculture  heavily  loaded 
with  taxation,  and  only  so  far  pursued  as  to  supply 
the  barest  necessities  of  life.  Manufacture  is  where 
it  was  centuries  ago,  and  is  performed  with  the  same 
primitive  tools.  The  printing  -  press  is  unknown. 
There  are  no  books  ;  the  language  itself  is  such  a 
mixture  of  tongues  and  so  corrupted  as  to  have  hardly 
a  distinctive  existence.  The  power  of  the  sultan  sucks 
the  life-blood  out  of  the  people,  who  obey  the  local 
sheikhs ;  above  them  are  the  cadis,  controlling  prov- 
inces ;  and  still  higher  the  pashas,  who  are  account- 
able only  to  the  sultan.  And  yet  the  Berbers,  so- 
called,  who  form  the  basis  of  the  native  population, 
outnumbering  the  Moors,  Arabs,  Jews,  and  Negroes, 
and  who  live  mostly  in  the  nearly  inaccessible  moun- 
tains of  the  Atlas,  are  so  independent,  savage,  and 
turbulent,  as  to  nearly  defy  the  imperial  authority, 
yielding  only  so  far  to  its  control  as  they  deem  ad- 
vantageous to  themselves.  The  Arabs  occupy  the 
plains  and  are  nomadic ;  the  Moors  possess  the  wealth 
of  the  land  and  control  most  branches  of  trade, 
making  their  homes  in  the  cities,  and  are  the  direct 
descendants  of  the  Moors  of  Spain.  Strange  there 
should  be  such  a  spirit  of  detestation  existing  to- 
wards every  idea  associated  with  civilized  and  Chris- 
tian life,  but  so  it  is  at  Tangier. 

From  Gibraltar  to  Malaga  by  sea  is  less  than  a 
hundred  miles  eastward  along  the  coast.  We  em- 
barked on  board  the  English  steamer  Cadiz.  For- 
tunately the  trip  is  a  short  one,  for  the  boat  was 
filthy,  and   had  just  been  transporting  cattle  from 


ARRIVAL  AT  MALAGA.  305 

England  to  the  Rock.  The  water  was  rough  enough 
to  make  the  few  passengers,  except  ourselves,  quite 
seasick ;  which,  in  the  contracted  accommodations  of 
the  Cadiz,  made  matters  far  from  agreeable.  To 
add  to  the  discomfort  there  was  a  steady  down-pour 
of  rain  during  the  trip ;  but  we  were  no  strangers 
to  such  contingencies,  and  made  the  best  of  it.  The 
irregular  Spanish  coast  was  in  sight  through  a  veil  of 
mist  nearly  all  the  way  until  we  landed,  after  a  slight 
skirmish  with  the  custom-house  officers,  at  Malaga, 
March  15th.  It  is  commercially  one  of  the  most  im- 
portant cities  of  Spain,  and  was  once  the  capital  of 
an  independent  state,  with  plenty  of  ancient  lore 
hanging  about  it,  as  it  was  a  large  and  prosperous 
Phoenician  capital  centuries  before  Christ.  The  older 
portions  of  the  city  have  all  the  Moorish  peculiarities 
of  construction,  —  narrow  streets,  narrow  passages, 
small  barred  windows,  and  heavy  doors;  but  the  more 
modern  part  of  Malaga  is  characterized  by  broad, 
straight  thoroughfares,  and  elegantly  built  houses. 
This  is  especially  the  case  with  the  Alameda,  which 
has  a  central  walk  lined  on  either  side  with  handsome 
almond-trees,  edged  by  plats  of  flowers,  and  green 
shrubs  intermingled,  besides  which  there  are  statues 
and  a  fountain  of  an  elaborate  character  at  the  end 
of  the  walk.  On  either  side  of  this  promenade  is  a 
good  roadway,  flanked  with  houses  of  pleasing  archi- 
tectural effect,  lofty  and  well  relieved. 

There  are  several  fine  open  squares  in  Malaga,  some 
of  which  contain  statues  and  ornamental  trees  and 
flowers.  The  discover}^,  not  long  since,  of  Roman  an- 
tiquities in  the  environs  has  created  a  warm  interest 
among  archaeologists.  The  trade  of  the  city  in  wine, 
dried  and  green  fruit,  is  large;  and  we  were  told 


g06  DUE   WEST. 

that  nearly  nine  tenths  of  the  forty  thousand  butts  of 
sweet  wine,  sold  here  for  foreign  use  annually,  were 
exported  to  the  United  States.  On  the  whole,  we 
were  agreeably  disappointed  at  the  thrifty  and  busi- 
ness-like aspect  of  the  city.  There  are  no  picture- 
galleries  or  art  treasures  to  examine ;  but  the  people 
of  new  localities  are  always  an  interesting  study,  and 
the  shops  were  decidedly  the  best  we  had  seen  since 
we  left  America.  There  is  a  grand  cathedral,  which 
is  considered  almost  the  only  place  worth  exhibiting 
to  strangers.  It  is  of  rather  modern  date,  having 
been  commenced  in  1528,  and  is  of  mixed  style,  its 
faQade  constituting  almost  its  only  feature  of  remark- 
able beauty. 

The  old  Moorish  castle,  crowning  the  seaward 
heights,  has  been  converted  into  a  modern  fortress, 
and  is  well  worth  visiting  for  the  superb  view  to  bo 
obtained  from  the  battlements.  Few  people  now 
come  to  Malaga  except  for  a  special  purpose.  In  a 
sanitary  point  of  view,  as  a  resort  for  consumptives, 
it  has  long  enjoyed  a  reputation  which  it  certainly 
does  not  merit  to-day,  whatever  it  m.ay  have  done  in 
the  past.  First,  it  is  much  too  cold  and  damp  for 
delicate  lungs.  Again,  it  has  not  one  comfort  or 
social  attraction  to  interest  the  visitor  in  search  of 
health.  Moreover,  its  sewerage  is  shamefully  defec- 
tive. Indeed,  in  the  older  parts  of  the  town,  the  sur- 
face gutters  receive  and  convey  all  the  accumulated 
filth,  so  that  the  atmosphere  is  most  unfavorably  in- 
fluenced. The  published  mortuary  statistics  have 
been  unfairly  given,  as  the  mortality  is  larger  in  per- 
centage than  in  any  other  part  of  Spain,  which,  as  a 
rule,  is  far  from  possessing  a  healthy  climate.  We 
doubt  if  physicians  any  longer  advise  their  patients 


A   SPANISH  BULL-RING.  307 

to  resort  thither,  certainly  they  would  not  do  so  if 
possessed  of  personal  experience  of  the  place. 

The  present  population  is  a  little  over  a  hundred 
and  twenty  thousand,  and  is  made  up  of  a  commu- 
nity of  more  than  average  respectability,  though  it 
would  appear  that  there  is  an  unreasonable  percen- 
tage of  beggars  to  be  met  with.  In  and  about  the 
cathedral  of  Santa  Barbara  the  visitor  finds  this  nui- 
sance extremely  annoying.  Malaga  has  one  of  the 
largest  bull-rings  to  be  found  in  Spain.  We  were 
shown  all  over  its  various  offices  with  evident  pride 
on  the  part  of  the  custodian.  All  contingencies, 
are  here  provided  for.  One  apartment,  with  the 
necessary  appliances,  is  arranged  as  a  surgery,  so 
that  if  the  picadors,  chulos,  or  matadores  (bull- 
fighters) be  any  of  them  seriously  wounded,  the  sur- 
geon, who  is  always  in  attendance,  can  at  once  pro- 
ceed to  business.  Another  large  apartment  is  fitted 
up  as  a  Roman  Catholic  chapel.  If  any  of  the  bull- 
fighters are  fatally  injured  and  about  to  die,  here 
the  priest,  as  regular  an  attendant  as  the  surgeon, 
can  administer  the  last  rite,  shrive  the  sufferer  of  all 
sin,  and  start  him  on  his  triumphant  way  to  other, 
and,  it  is  to  be  hoped,  happier  hunting-grounds.  At 
the  bull-ring  the  populace,  to  the  number  of  from 
fourteen  to  fifteen  thousand,  assemble  nearly  every 
Sabbath  during  the  season,  to  witness  this  most  cruel 
of  all  sports.  No  seat  is  left  unoccupied,  and,  as  Tve 
were  informed,  the  day  before  the  exhibition  tickets 
are  nearly  always  sold  at  a  premium.  The  devotion 
of  the  Spaniards  to  this  national  sport  is  universal, 
from  the  grandee  to  the  peasant.  More  than  once 
has  the  attempt  been  made  by  the  throne  to  bring 
the  cruel  business  into  disrepute,  but  it  has  been 


308  DUE   WEST. 

found  unavailing.  The  taste  is  too  deeply  rooted  in 
the  masses  of  the  people.  We  were  told  subsequently, 
at  Madrid,  that  an  attempt  to  suppress  the  bull-fights 
in  Spain  would  be  more  likely  to  lead  to  a  revolution 
than  would  the  most  stringent  political  measure  that 
could  be  named.  The  cry  of  the  mob  is  "  Bread  and 
bulls,"  which  is  very  significant  to  those  who  have 
studied  Spanish  character. 

The  English  cemetery,  laid  out  upon  a  terraced 
hill-side  just  out  of  the  city  borders  and  overlooking 
the  harbor,  is  a  very  interesting  resort,  admirably 
kept  and  appropriately  ornamented  with  choice  trees, 
shrubs,  and  flowers,  tropically  luxuriant  from  its 
southern  exposure.  In  the  squares,  streets,  and  mar- 
ket places  of  Malaga,  women  sat  each  morning  weav- 
ing fresh-cut  flowers,  fragrant  clusters  of  rose-buds, 
mignonette,  pansies,  violets,  and  geraniums,  pretty 
little  clusters  of  which  they  sold  for  about  one  shil- 
ling, and  found  ready  purchasers.  One  may  be  sure 
there  is  always  a  refined  element  in  the  locality, 
whether  otherwise  visible  or  not,  where  such  an  ap- 
preciation as  this  is  manifested.  The  bull-fight  may 
thrive ;  the  populace  may  be,  as  they  often  are  in 
Malaga,  riotous  and  mischievous ;  education  may  be 
at  a  very  low  ebb,  art  almost  entirely  neglected ;  but 
where  a  love  of  nature,  as  evinced  in  the  appreciation 
of  beautiful  flowers,  is  to  be  found,  there  is  still  ex- 
tant on  the  popular  heart  the  half-effaced  image  of 
its  Maker. 

The  Spanish  heart  is  by  no  means  all  bad.  That 
the  bull-fight  fosters  a  spirit  of  cruelty  among  the 
masses  no  one  can  doubt,  and  that  cruelty  is  a  char- 
acteristic of  the  Catalan  race  is  also  only  too  well 
known.    No  other  people  would  tolerate  such  cruelty ; 


ANCIENT  GLORY  OF  SPAIN.  809 

and  that  it  is  a  disgrace  to  the  nineteenth  century 
every  intelligent  person  outside  of  Spain  will  admit. 
It  is  a  very  interesting  fact,  but  seldom  realized, 
that  Spain  in  the  time  of  Julius  Caesar  contained 
nearly  eighty  millions  of  inhabitants,  but  to-day  it 
has  less  than  eighteen  millions.  In  glancing  at  the 
map  it  will  be  perceived  that  Spain  is  a  very  large 
country,  comprising  nearly  the  whole  of  the  southern 
peninsula  of  Europe  (Portugal  being  confined  to  a 
small  space),  and  extending  north  and  south  over  six 
hundred  miles.  It  is  about  double  the  size  of  Great 
Britain,  and  is  rich  in  every  known  mineral,  though 
she  is  poor  enough  in  the  necessary  energy  and  en- 
terprise requisite  to  improve  her  extraordinary  possi- 
bilities. In  many  sections  of  the  country  great  nat- 
ural fertility  is  apparent,  but  nature  has  to  perform 
the  lion's  share  of  the  work.  We  were  told  by  intel- 
ligent residents  that  many  parts  of  Andalusia,  for 
instance,  could  not  be  exceeded  for  rural  beauty  and 
fertility  in  any  part  of  Europe,  though  we  saw  no 
satisfactory  evidence  of  this ;  indeed,  what  we  did 
see  led  to  a  contrary  conclusion.  In  the  environs  of 
Malaga  and  the  southern  province  generally,  there 
are  orange,  lemon,  and  olive  groves  miles  in  extent ; 
and  the  Moors  had  a  poetical  saying  that  this  favored 
region  was  dropped  from  paradise,  but  there  is  more 
of  poetry  than  truth  in  the  legend.  What  is  re- 
quired is  good  cultivation  and  skilled  agricultural 
enterprise.  These  would  develop  a  different  condi- 
tion of  affairs,  and  give  to  legitimate  enterprise  a  rich 
reward.  The  sugar-cane,  the  grape-vine,  the  fig-tree, 
and  the  productive  olive,  mingling  with  the  myrtle 
and  the  laurel,  gratify  the  eye  in  and  about  the  im- 
mediate district  of  Malaga  ;  but  as  one  advances  in- 


810  DUE   WEST, 

land,  the  products  become  natural  or  wild,  cultivation 
primitive  and  only  partial ;  grain  fields  are  sparse, 
and  one  is  often  led  to  draw  disparaging  contrasts 
between  this  country  and  those  of  more  ambitious 
and  industrious  agricultural  nations. 

While  the  more  practical  traveler  is  filled  with  a 
sense  of  disappointment  at  the  paucity  of  thrift  and 
vegetation,  the  poet  and  the  artist  will  still  find 
enough  to  delight  the  eye  and  fire  the  imagination 
in  Spain.  The  ever  transparent  atmosphere,  and  the 
lovely  cloud  effects  that  prevail,  are  accompaniments 
which  will  hallow  the  desolate  sierras  for  the  artist 
at  all  seasons.  The  poet  has  only  to  wander  among 
the  former  haunts  of  the  exiled  Moors,  and  view  the 
crumbling  monuments  of  his  luxurious  and  artistic 
taste,  to  be  equally  absorbed  and  inspired. 


CHAPTER  XL 

From  Malaga  to  Granada.  —  Military  Escort.  —  A  Beautiful  Valley. 

—  A  Dream  Realized  in  the  Alhambra.  —  The  Moor  in   his  Glory. 

—  Tangible  Poetry.  —  A  Brief  Legend.  —  The  Generalife.  — 
The  Moor's  Seat.  —  The  Home  of  the  Gypsies.  —  A  Gold  Bearing 
River.  — A  Beautiful  Residence. —  Early  Home  of  the  Ex-Empress 
Eugenie.  —  City  of  Granada.  —  Spanish  Beggars.  —  The  Remark- 
able Tomb  of  Ferdinand  and  Isabella.  —  French  Vandals.  —  The 
Cathedral.  —  Precious  Relic.  —  The  Cartuja.  —  Love  of  Music. 

The  distance  from  Malaga  to  Granada  is  about 
seventy  miles,  but  in  Spanish  style  it  requires  eight 
or  nine  hours  to  accomplish  it.  Needless  delay  is  the 
rule  here,  and  forms  a  national  infirmity ;  but  in  the 
present  instance  we  did  not  feel  in  special  haste,  nor 
regret  the  snail's  pace  at  which  the  cars  were  run,  as 
the  road  lay  mostly  through  a  very  beautiful  valley, 
lined  on  either  side  by  high  hills  extending  back  un- 
til they  terminated  in  lofty,  snow-clad  ranges.  The 
contrast  between  these  ice  -  crowned  elevations  not 
very  far  away,  and  the  orchards  of  oranges  and  lem- 
ons in  full  bearing  so  near  to  us,  was  certainly  strik- 
ing. The  dull,  dusty  green  of  the  olive  orchards,  of 
which  there  were  more  than  of  all  other  trees  com- 
bined, gave  a  rather  sombre  appearance  to  many 
miles  of  the  route;  but  the  cheerful  light  verdure 
of  the  occasional  grain  fields  and  pastures  afforded 
relief  to  the  eye. 

There  were  but  few  people  to  be  seen,  quite  unlike 
European  agricultural  districts  generally,  where  hu- 
man life  is  ever  so  conspicuous.   The  cultivated  spots 


312  DUE   WEST, 

seemed  to  be  very  far  away  from  the  hamlets  whence 
the  owners  must  come  for  field  labor.  It  was  obvi- 
ous that  for  some  strong  reason  the  populace,  sparse 
at  best,  herd  together.  There  were  no  isolated  farm- 
houses or  huts.  The  cultivators  must  ride  or  walk 
long  distances  to  reach  the  field  of  labor.  Perhaps 
mutual  protection,  as  in  the  olden  time,  was  the  in- 
ducing cause  of  the  country  people  thus  keeping  to- 
gether, and  the  necessity  of  congregating  for  mutual 
support  in  an  exigency  has  by  no  means  entirely 
ceased.  Now  and  then  the  cars  would  dart  suddenly 
into  a  dark  tunnel,  when  we  skirted  the  mountain 
sides,  to  emerge  again  upon  a  scene  of  redoubled  sun- 
light, for  a  moment  quite  tantalizing  to  the  vision,  re- 
minding one  forcibly  of  some  Swiss  and  Italian  roads 
where  car-lamps  are  burned  all  day.  As  occasional 
bands  of  brigands  appear,  and,  stopping  the  trains, 
rob  the  passengers,  government  kindly  complimented 
us  with  an  escort  of  a  dozen  soldiers,  and  we  were 
told  that  these  redoubtable  warriors  now  accompany 
each  train,  besides  which  two  or  three  good-looking 
high  privates,  in  neat  uniforms,  were  observed  at  each 
of  the  stations  where  we  stopped,  marching  up  and 
down  before  the  train  and  eying  the  passengers,  as 
though  they  half  suspected  us  of  being  banditti  in 
disguise.  It  is  clear  that  the  administration  is  en- 
deavoring to  render  traveling  safe  throughout  the 
country,  and  if  they  would  only  render  it  comfortable 
and  expeditious  at  the  same  time,  the  reform  would 
commend  itself  to  universal  approval.  Punctuality  is 
not  a  Spanish  word,  being  neither  practiced  nor  un- 
derstood from  Malaga  to  Burgos.  You  take  your 
seat  trustingly  for  some  objective  point,  but  when 
you  will  reach  it  is  a  profound  and  subtle  mystery 
which  time  alono  can  solve. 


GRANADA,   PAST  AND  PRESENT.  313 

Perhaps  no  one  ever  read  Washington  Irving's  de- 
scription of  the  Alhambra  without  experiencing  an 
ardent  desire  to  visit  Granada.  Although  that  ex- 
quisite pen-portrait  reads  more  like  romance  than 
veritable  history,  yet  it  is  minutely  correct  and  abso- 
lutely literal,  teeming  with  local  color  and  atmos- 
pheric effect  like  the  canvas  of  a  Claude  Lorraine  or 
a  Bierstadt.  As  we  approached  the  ancient  city,  all 
early  recollections  of  the  glowing  text  were  revived ; 
nor  had  months  of  constant  travel  rendered  us  so 
blase  but  that  an  eager  anticipation  thrilled  every 
nerve.  The  train  crept  slowly  along  in  the  twilight 
with  provoking  deliberation,  until  we  were  finally  de- 
posited in  the  depot  of  the  gray  old  capital,  so  inti- 
mately connected  with  the  most  romantic  chapters  of 
Spanish  history.  How  vividly  the  days  of  Ferdinand 
and  Isabella  flashed  before  the  mind's  eye,  mingled 
with  which  was  the  abortive  career  of  Charles  V. 
Here  set  the  sun  of  Moorish  glory.  This  was  Gra- 
nada, and  here,  close  at  hand,  was  that  embodiment 
of  poetry,  the  Alhambra. 

The  city  once  contained  over  half  a  million  of  peo- 
ple, but  to-day  it  has  scarcely  sixty  thousand,  —  like 
everything  else  material  in  Spain,  growing  smaller  by 
degrees  and  beautifully  less.  After  leaving  the  cen- 
tre of  the  town,  we  drove  some  distance  until  the 
ground  began  to  rise  sharply,  and  we  passed  through 
a  dense  grove  of  tall  elms  planted  many  years  ago  by 
the  Duke  of  Wellington.  These  trees  have  grown  in 
such  a  rank,  wild  fashion,  hung  with  ivy  from  the 
highest  branches  to  the  low  interlacing  stems,  as  to 
recall  a  Singapore,  jungle  or  the  densely  wooded  dis- 
trict near  Jeypore,  in  India.  The  trees  have  never 
been  trimmed  or  thinned  out  since  they  were  planted, 


814  DUE   WEST. 

and  cannot,  therefore,  become  individually  grand,  but 
they  appear  all  the  more  natural  for  this  seeming 
neglect.  Presently  the  hotel,  named  the  Washington 
Irving,  was  reached,  an  extremely  neat  and  comfort- 
able establishment.  It  was  necessary  to  suppress  our 
ardor  and  impatience,  as  night  had  settled  down  over 
Granada ;  and  there  being  no  moon,  nothing  could  be 
seen  to  advantage  outside  of  the  house.  We  retired 
early,  more  fatigued  by  the  slow,  dragging  railroad 
journey  of  seventy  miles  than  after  accomplishing 
the  same  distance  over  the  primitive  roads  of  Califor- 
nia, behind  four  dashing  horses  in  a  jolting  stage,  be- 
tween Madeira  and  Coarse  Gold  Gulch. 

It  is  not  for  us  to  describe  in  detail  so  well-known 
a  monument  as  this  royal  palace  of  the  Moors,  those 
regal  sovereigns  who  had  not  only  a  love  for  the 
beautiful  in  art,  but  also  the  means  of  indulging  it. 
With  all  preconceived  ideas  it  was  still  a  revelation, 
and,  next  to  the  Taj  at  Agra,  the  most,  poetical  em- 
bodiment of  architecture  we  had  ever  seen.  Surprises 
met  us  at  every  turn  within  its  enchanting  precincts. 
The  names  of  its  various  halls  and  courts,  the  Hall  of 
Justice,  Court  of  Blessings,  Hall  of  the  Abencerrages, 
Court  of  the  Lions,  Hall  of  the  Two  Sisters,  etc.,  were 
all  familiar,  but  only  so  in  pictured  dreams.  Here 
was  the  tangible  reality ;  it  was  no  disillusion.  As  we 
passed  from  court  to  court,  from  hall  to  hall,  linger- 
ing here  and  there,  how  the  very  atmosphere  teemed 
with  historical  reminiscences  of  that  most  romantic 
period  of  history,  the  mediaeval  days,  when  the  Moors 
held  regal  court  and  lorded  it  in  Andalusia.  A  lurk- 
ing sympathy  stole  over  us  for  that  exiled  people  who 
could  render  life  such  a  terrestrial  paradise.  Sur- 
rounded by  fruit,  flowers,  and  dark-eyed  houris,  the 


MOORISH  ARCHITECTURE,  815 

Mohammedan  but  typified  his  idea  of  a  higher 
heaven.  In  the  Alhambra  he  might  have  closed  his 
eyes  to  the  outer  world,  and  fancied  that  he  was  al- 
ready in  that  sensuous  and  perpetual  home  which  the 
Arabian  poets  so  glowingly  describe.  It  is  difficult 
to  realize  that  the  Moors  possessed  such  admirable 
architectural  skill,  and  produced  such  splendid  pal- 
aces, centuries  upon  centuries  ago ;  and  quite  as  re- 
markable that  Time,  the  great  iconoclast,  should  have 
spared  for  our  admiration  such  delicate,  lace-like  carv- 
ings and  such  brilliant  mosaics.  Magnificence  with 
them  was  an  art  in  itself,  and,  combined  with  beauty, 
was  one  of  their  highest  aims.  Minuteness  of  finish 
and  perfection  of  detail  were  lavished  with  Oriental 
profuseness.  If  we  carefully  examine  the  fret-work 
upon  the  walls  of  the  various  corridors  and  apart- 
ments, it  becomes  evident  that  it  represents  flowers 
and  geometrical  lines,  though  at  a  casual  glance  it 
has  rather  a  confused  appearance.  The  various 
spaces  are  filled  with  lines  from  the  Koran ;  the  words 
"  There  is  no  conqueror  but  God  "  occurring  many 
hundred  times  in  the  various  parts  of  the  structure, 
in  the  delicately  lined  work  over  the  horse-shoe 
arches,  upon  the  plainer  side  walls  and  over  latticed 
jalousies,  and  along  the  architraves. 

Out  of  a  gracefully  arched  window,  with  stucco 
work  framing  it  about  like  curtains  of  crystallized 
lace,  from  whence  the  beauties  of  the  harem  must 
have  often  gazed  upon  the  court  below,  we  looked 
upon  a  setting  of  leafy  verdure  in  white  marble,  sur- 
I'ounded  by  fountains,  like  an  emerald  set  in  diamonds 
upon  a  lady's  hand.  We  looked  from  the  boudoir  of 
the  Sultana,  the  Chosen  of  the  Harem.  Here  were 
thriving  orange  and  fig-trees  mingled  with  glistening, 


816  DUE   WEST. 

dark-leaved  myrtles,  which  were  bordered  by  an  edg- 
ing of  box  so  high  and  stout  of  limb  that  the  main 
stems  were  more  like  trees  than  shrubs.  The  guide 
told  us  they  were  centuries  old.  Here  were  also 
clusters  of  hawthorn  in  blossom,  and  little  patches 
of  blue  star-like  flowers  looking  up  from  the  ground 
like  human  eyes,  as  though  having  hardly  the  courage 
to  assert  themselves  amid  the  more  pretentious  bloom. 
The  sun  lay  warm  and  lovingly  in  this  fragrant  area 
of  the  grand  old  palace,  and  the  air  was  very  soft  and 
sweet.  It  was  the  same  scene  which  had  gladdened 
witching  eyes  centuries  ago,  when  the  notes  of  the 
lute  mingled  with  the  careless,  happy  voices  of  the 
beauties  of  the  harem. 

The  guide  had  twice  to  summon  us  before  we  left 
the  spot.  Then  we  climbed  up  tlie  winding,  marble 
steps,  lighted  here  and  there  by  little  loop-bole  win- 
dows, to  a  balcony  that  commanded  a  view  far  and 
near  over  the  village-dotted  plain  of  Granada,  backed 
by  the  snowy  summits  of  the  Sierra  Nevada.  The 
city,  in  all  its  brown,  turreted,  and  tiled  confusion  of 
buildings,  lay  in  the  foreground.  The  Darro  and  the 
Xenil,  joined  together,  were  seen  winding  their  sil- 
very way  through  the  verdant  fields,  where  broad 
patches  of  yellow  grain  added  a  thrifty  aspect  to 
the  view.  Quaint  little  hamlets  clustered  together; 
mulberry  and  olive  groves,  a  tall  hay-stack  here  and 
there,  and  groups  of  domestic  cattle,  enlivened  the 
whole.  It  was  an  exceptional  picture  for  Spain,  and 
would  convey  the  idea  of  a  well-cultivated  and  thriv- 
ing agricultural  country ;  but  it  was  natural  irriga- 
tion, not  the  hand  of  industrious  labor,  which  was 
here  so  agreeably  represented. 

One  never  wearied  in  wandering  about  the  courta 


THE  ALHAMBRA.  317 

and  luxurious  apartments  ;  luxurious,  not  because  of 
their  furniture,  for  there  was  none  ;  but  because  of 
what  they  suggested,  for  the  possibilities  they  pre- 
sented, and  the  exquisite  architectural  workmanship 
displayed  in  each  detail,  and  everywhere.  It  was 
like  enchantment  verified.  Nothing  seemed  too  ex- 
travagant to  the  imagination  thus  stimulated.  If  we 
had  suddenly  come  upon  a  throng  of  the  dark-eyed 
favorites  of  the  harem  diaphonously  clad,  on  their 
way  to  the  marble  baths,  with  Nubian  slaves  perfum- 
ing their  way  by  burning  incense,  it  would  not  have 
seemed  to  us  at  all  strange. 

Alhambra  signifies  "  Red  Castle,"  and  the  vermil- 
ion-tinted structure,  with  its  outlying  towers,  was 
thus  appropriately  named.  In  the  days  of  its  glory 
it  was  half  palace,  half  fortress  ;  indeed,  a  city  within 
itself,  capable  of  accommodating  quite  an  army,  and 
containing  within  its  walls  an  immense  cistern  as 
a  water  supply,  armories,  store-houses,  foundries,  and 
every  appliance  of  a  large  military  cantonment.  A 
considerable  portion  of  the  far-reaching  walls  are 
still  extant,  as  well  as  the  outlying  towers ;  and  all 
are  remarkable  for  the  excellent  engineering  skill 
displayed  in  their  construction.  Under  good  gener- 
alship, and  properly  manned,  the  place  must  have 
been  impregnable  to  attack  with  such  arms  as  were 
in  use  at  the  period  of  its  completion.  For  a  long 
time  after  the  expulsion  of  the  Moors,  the  Castilian 
monarchs  made  it  their  royal  residence,  and  held  high 
and  regal  court  within  its  splendid  walls  ;  but  they 
finally  deserted  it,  and  left  desolate  those  unequaled 
halls  and  courts.  The  place  was  next  infested  by  a 
lawless  community  of  contrabandists  and  banditti, 
who  made  it,  for  a  long  period,  their  headquarters, 


818  DUE   WEST. 

whence  to  sally  forth  and  lay  the  neighboring  plains 
under  contribution,  on  the  principle  that  might  makes 
right.  Then  came  the  French  as  conquerors,  who  ex- 
pelled the  lawless  intruders,  perhaps  themselves  quite 
as  deserving  of  the  title ;  but  they  did  a  good  work 
by  clearing  what  had  become  an  Augean  stable  of 
its  worst  filth,  and  partially  restoring  the  choicest 
work  of  the  Moorish  builders.  To-day  the  Spanish 
government  guards  with  jealous  care  a  monumental 
treasure  which  cannot  be  equaled  in  historic  interest 
elsewhere  in  the  kingdom. 

Visiting  the  Court  of  the  Lions  on  the  last  day  of 
our  stay  at  Granada,  watching  its  beautiful  shadows, 
columns,  and  fret-work,  with  its  mammoth  vase  of 
Oriental  alabaster  fed  by  water  brought  from  the 
mountains  through  the  old  Moorish  aqueduct,  it 
seemed  as  if  so  much  of  tangible  poetry  could  no- 
where else  be  found.  Over  a  hundred  light  and 
graceful  columns  of  marble  surround  this  one  court, 
supporting  arches  of  perfect  loveliness,  and  a  Moor- 
ish arcade  of  aerial  lightness  and  beauty.  The  rich 
stucco  and  the  arabesque  decorations  of  the  inner 
walls  and  ceilings,  finished  in  gold  and  blue,  the  orig- 
inal colors  still  there  after  centuries  of  exposure,  to- 
gether form  perhaps  the  gem  of  the  Albambra.  Yet 
one  hesitates  to  pronounce  any  one  hall,  chamber,  or 
court  as  excelling  another  where  all  are  so  transcen- 
dently  beautiful.  The  characteristic  embodiment  of 
the  architecture  seemed  to  be  its  perfect  harmony 
throughout.  There  are  no  jarring  elements,  no  false 
notes,  in  the  marvelous  anthem  which  it  articulates. 
It  does  not  impress  one  as  representing  power  or 
grandeur,  but  rather  sensuousness  and  human  love. 
The  inspiration  it  imparts  to  the  thoughtful  beholder 


A  LOVER'S  REVENGE.  819 

is  less  of  awe  than  of  tenderness,  and  exquisite  poet- 
ical delight,  causing  one,  as  he  gazes  upon  its  accu- 
mulated loveliness,  almost  to  tremble  with  excess  of 
gratification. 

Many  of  the  outlying  towers  of  the  main  structure, 
now  partly  isolated  by  the  crumbling  of  the  connect- 
ing walls  and  passages,  are  well  worth  attention. 
We  visited  them  with  great  satisfaction,  but  they 
have  been  too  often  described  to  require  special  men- 
tion here.  The  guide  related  a  legend  connected 
with  one  of  them  which  was  new  to  us.  It  related 
to  that  known  as  La  Cautiva,  the  inner  walls  of 
which  are  famous  for  their  Moorish  tracery.  Here, 
it  seems,  a  lovely  Christian  maiden  was  imprisoned, 
whom  Yousuf  I.,  then  reigning  monarch,  desired  to 
add  to  his  harem.  In  vain  were  her  pleadings,  and 
her  assurance  that  she  was  the  affianced  bride  of  a 
noble  knight.  The  king  still  importuned  the  maiden, 
though  fruitlessly.  She  would  not  for  one  moment 
listen  to  his  suit.  Finally,  pressed  to  the  last  ex- 
treme of  resistance,  she  sought  protection  in  death, 
and  threw  herself  from  the  lofty  battlements  of  the 
tower  upon  the  jagged  rocks  at  its  base.  Here  her 
mangled  body  was  found  by  her  knightly  lover,  who 
had  come,  but  too  late,  with  a  band  of  daring  follow- 
ers, to  rescue  his  beloved.  His  revenge  was  swift 
and  terrible.  In  the  little  mosque  hard  by  Yousuf 
I.  paid  the  penalty  for  his  persecution  of  the  gentle 
maiden,  for  there  he  was  killed  by  the  disconsolate 
knight  while  he  was  kneeling  in  prayer. 

Crossing  the  glen  beyond  the  tower  of  La  Cautiva 
and  ascending  the  hill  beyond  we  came  upon  what  is 
called  the  Generalife,  the  summer  palace  of  the  Al- 
hambra,  with  which,  in  the  olden  time,  it  was  con- 


320  DUE    WEST, 

nected  by  an  underground  passage,  which  is  still 
traceable  though  filled  in  by  decay  and  debris.  This 
structure  has  been  scarcely  less  noted  than  the  main 
edifice,  but  one  is  rather  disappointed  at  its  simplic- 
ity and  want  of  finish  as  compared  with  the  Alham- 
bra  itself.  The  view  from  it  is  so  fine  that  one  feels 
amply  repaid  for  the  visit,  though  probably  but  a 
very  small  portion  of  the  original  structure  remains, 
since  it  is  now  nothing  more  or  less  than  a  moderate- 
sized  white  villa,  located  in  a  wilderness  of  laurel, 
myrtle,  and  cypresses.  Through  its  court-yards  and 
gardens  rushes  a  branch  of  the  gold  -  bearing  river, 
the  Darro,  spending  itself  in  scores  of  fountains,  tiny 
falls,  cascades,  and  lakes.  The  grounds  are  full  of 
venerable  cypresses  of  great  age  and  beauty,  the  only 
ones  we  had  seen  in  Spain  except  in  the  English 
burial-ground  at  Malaga.  Nor  had  we  observed  any 
elms  except  those  of  the  grove  planted  by  Wellington. 
The  gardens  of  the  Generalife  form  its  principal  at- 
traction, and  the  number  of  exotic  trees  and  plants 
gathered  here  is  remarkable.  The  place  is  now 
owned  and  cared  for  by  the  Genoese  family  of  Gri- 
maldi,  who  keep  a  few  people  on  the  premises  to  pro- 
tect the  property  and  cultivate  the  gardens.  We  were 
told  the  owner  had  never  visited  Granada.  Passing 
through  a  small  rear  door  of  the  Generalife,  the  guide 
conducted  us  by  a  steep  path  to  what  is  called  the 
Moor's  Seat,  the  apex  of  the  neighboring  heights,  and 
between  which  and  the  mountain  range  of  snow-clad 
peaks  lies  the  heavily-wooded  valley  of  the  Darro  on 
one  side,  and  on  the  other  the  wide-spread  vega  of 
Granada.  The  view  includes  some  fifteen  villages, 
dotting  plains  more  fertile  than  any  other  we  had 
seen  in  the  country.   The  atmosphere  was  clear,  ren- 


THE   GENERALIFE.  821 

dering  the  comprehensive  view  very  fine,  taking  in 
as  its  foreground  both  the  Alhambra  and  the  Gener- 
alife.  The  visit  to  the  Moor's  Seat  was  not  hurried. 
Time  was  taken  to  impress  the  outspread  picture  it 
afforded  lastingly  on  the  memory,  for  we  could  not 
reasonably  expect  to  ever  behold  it  again. 

After  coming  down  we  reviewed  the  picture  gal- 
lery of  the  Generalife,  though  hardly  a  "gallery," 
made  up  as  it  is  of  a  series  of  daubs  representing 
the  kings  and  queens  of  Spain,  with  other  members 
of  the  royal  family,  of  some  possible  historic  inter- 
est, but  otherwise  not  worth  the  canvas  on  which 
they  are  painted.  The  guide  was  well  supplied  with 
legends  about  the  Generalife  as  to  the  Sultana  Zo- 
raya  and  her  guilty  Abencerrage  lover,  and  so  forth ; 
but  we  had  listened  to  one  about  the  tower  not  far 
away,  and  had  so  much  occupation  for  the  eyes  that 
the  ears  were  permitted  to  rest.  All  show  places, 
and  especially  royal  palaces,  have  their  romantic  leg- 
ends :  what  would  guides  and  guide-books  otherwise 
amount  to  ?  But  without  exception  let  it  be  under- 
stood, these  stories  are  a  tissue  of  nonsense,  founded 
on  a  modicum  of  truth.  Take  as  a  fair  example  the 
universally  accepted  Byronic  legends  of  the  Bridge 
of  Sighs  at  Venice,  which  Mr.  Howells  so  quietly 
but  thoroughly  explodes  by  adducing  the  simplest 
historical  facts. 

Between  the  Alhambra  and  the  Generalife,  but  not 
in  a  direct  line,  were  located  the  headquarters  of  the 
gypsies  of  Spain,  some  four  or  five  thousand  of  whom 
live  in  the  rock  caves  adjoining  the  city,  where  the 
valley  of  the  Darro  affords  a  warm,  sunny  shelter. 
Holes  excavated  in  the  sloping  mountain  side  form 
the  homes  of  this  singular  and  strongly  individualized 

21 


322  DUE    WEST, 

people,  where  they  have  had  a  recognized  habita- 
tion for  centuries.  They  are  just  the  same  renegade 
race  that  are  found  in  other  parts  of  Europe  and  the 
British  Isles :  picturesque  in  their  rags,  lawless  in  the 
extreme,  and  living  almost  entirely  in  the  open  air. 
In  the  faces  of  the  men,  who  are  as  coarse  and  uncul- 
tured as  men  can  possibly  be,  there  was  expressed 
much  of  the  same  savage  instinct  that  marked  the 
features  of  those  captured  tigers  exhibited  at  Jey- 
pore.  They  are  lazy  and  reckless,  but  fiery  if  roused 
to  anger.  Terrible  domestic  tragedies  sometimes  oc- 
cur among  them,  as  the  guide  explained  to  us.  They 
observe  certain  principles  of  what  has  been  terrhed 
"wild  justice,"  having  their  king  or  queen  as  the  case 
may  be,  and  to  such  self -elected  control  only  do  they 
yield  obedience.  The  men,  like  the  women,  affect 
gaudy  colors,  and  both  toss  their  loose,  ragged  gar- 
ments about  them  after  a  graceful  style  all  their  own. 
The  bronzed  features,  profuse  black  hair,  and  very 
dark  eyes  of  these  gypsies,  often  render  them  strik- 
ingly handsome ;  and  when  this  dangerous  heritage 
falls  to  the  share  of  the  young  women,  it  often  leads 
to  experiences  too  tragic  to  record.  Many  of  the 
men  wear  embroidered  velvet  jackets,  with  hanging 
silver  buttons,  like  a  Basque  postilion,  and  add  a  scar- 
let sash  about  the  waist,  the  legs  being  bound  up  in 
sheep's  skins  with  fancy-colored  ribbons,  and  the  feet 
covered  with  crude  sandals,  —  altogether  quite  a  the- 
atrical costume. 

Gypsies  worship  high  colors  and  cheap  jewelry,  and 
would  spend  their  last  farthing  for  either,  though  the 
question  of  whence  tlie  next  meal  was  to  come  frofii 
might  be  an  unsolved  problem.  They  roam  idly  about 
the  grounds  of  the  Alhambra,  but  are  not  permitted 


THE  GYPSIES  OF  GRANADA,  823 

to  enter  its  walls,  and  no  exterior  picture  of  the  struc- 
ture would  be  true  which  did  not  introduce  one  or 
more  of  them  in  the  foreground.  Strangers  generally 
visit  their  quarters  in  the  valley,  and  for  their  en- 
tertainment they  dance,  tell  fortunes,  play  tricks, 
and,  if  possible,  steal  from  them.  Indeed  it  is  hardly 
safe,  without  an  experienced  guide,  to  go  among  them. 
Their  domestic  life  is  represented  to  be  of  so  objec- 
tionable a  character  that  it  will  not  bear  discussing. 
Gypsies  will  not  work  unless  driven  to  do  so  by  ab- 
solute want,  but  necessity  sometimes  compels  them ; 
and  so  occasionally  they  may  be  found  manipulating 
the  waters  of  the  swift-running  Darro  for  gold,  which 
is  often  found  in  paying  quantities.  There  is  a  local 
jeweler  within  the  precincts  of  the  Alhambra  who 
makes  the  gold  from  this  stream  into  mementos, 
which  are  a  favorite  investment  with  visitors,  in  the 
form  of  pins  and  brooches.  The  river  Darro  rises 
in  a  rocky  gorge  of  the  neighboring  mountains,  and 
comes  tumbling  down  the  valley  within  a  stone's- 
tlirow  of  the  gypsies'  cave-dwellings,  thence  flows 
through  the  town,  and  is  joined  by  the  Xenil  on  the 
plain  of  Granada. 

Close  by  the  Alhambra,  indeed  almost  within  the 
walls,  we  visited  the  delightful  villa  of  Madame  Cal- 
deron  de  la  Barca,  who  was  once  a  resident  of  Boston, 
and  who  was  well  known  and  highly  esteemed  by  our 
best  people.  This  fine  estate  was  presented  to  her, 
for  valuable  services,  by  the  Spanish  government. 
It  is  remarkable  for  its  spacious  and  beautifully  ar- 
ranged grounds,  combining  ornamentation  and  use- 
fulness in  a  striking  degree,  and  extending  over 
some  twenty  acres  of  ground.  Here  are  vineyards, 
fruit  orchards,  choice  flower  gardens,  trees  of  various 


824  DUE  WEST. 

tropical  species,  among  which  we  saw  dates,  cocoa- 
nuts,  and  figs,  in  thrifty  condition,  besides  orchards 
of  pears,  plums,  peaches,  and  apricots.  Miniature 
waterfalls,  lakes,  and  rivers,  shaded  walks,  aviaries, 
and  many  other  attractions  showed  a  lavish  expendi- 
ture in  beautifying  the  place.  The  villa  itself  was 
closed,  Madame  Calderon  being  absent  in  England. 
At  the  keeper's  lodge  we  found  a  Spanish  family  who 
carried  on  a  large  dairy,  the  cattle  on  the  estate  being 
of  the  choicest  breed,  and  their  management  a  favor- 
ite idea  with  the  mistress  of  the  estate.  Butter  of 
good  quality  is  scarce  in  Spain.  That  which  was  here 
produced  found  a  ready  market  at  the  Washington 
Irving  Hotel. 

In  strolling  about  the  town  many  spacious  squares 
were  seen,  old  palaces,  houses  in  ruins,  and  deserted 
convents,  all  in  apparent  keeping  with  the  general 
aspect  of  this  faded  and  fading  old  city.  We  were 
taken  by  our  intelligent  guide  to  several  notable 
localities,  and  among  them  to  the  humble  dwelling- 
house  where  the  ex-empress  Eugdnie  was  born,  and 
where  her  childhood  was  passed.  A  conspicuous 
tablet  set  in  the  facade  of  the  house  makes  formal 
mention  of  the  circumstance,  observing  which  it  was 
natural  to  recall,  in  one  comprehensive  thought,  the 
strange,  romantic,  and  tragic  story  of  the  now  childless 
mother  and  unhonored  widow  of  Chiselhurst.  There 
would  have  been  no  Franco  -  Prussian  War  but  for 
her  reckless  machinations  ;  the  Prince  Imperial  would 
not,  in  consequence  of  reverses  thereby  induced,  have 
gone  to  Zululand  to  throw  away  his  life ;  the  m-ap  of 
Europe  would  not  have  been  changed  by  the  division 
of  Alsace-Lorraine ;  and  there  would  probably  have 
been  no  Republic  in  France  to-day. 


STREETS  OF  GRANADA,  325 

There  are  some  very  odd  and  very  ancient  stone 
fountains  in  the  city,  supported  by  grotesque  animals 
and  impossible  fishes,  erected  far  back  in  the  regal 
days  of  Ferdinand  and  Isabella.  The  sort  of  fancy 
which  could  have  induced  these  unartistic  designs 
it  is  difficult  to  conceive  of ;  they  only  require  a 
dragon's  head  on  a  human  body  to  make  them  quite 
Chinese.  The  little,  narrow,  winding  streets  recalled 
the  older  portions  of  Genoa  and  Marseilles  ;  yet  peo- 
ple live  in  them,  do  business  there,  go  shopping,  and 
generally  transact  the  usual  affairs  of  town  life, 
though  the  space  between  the  buildings  which  line 
these  passages  is  not  sufficient  to  allow  two  donkeys 
to  pass  each  other  with  loads  on  their  backs.  Now 
one  comes  upon  a  broken  stone  bridge  spanning  the 
Darro  on  a  single  broad  arch  of  great  sweep,  under 
which  the  noisy  river  rushes  tumultuously  down  hill, 
and  wonders  how  long  the  toppling  houses,  which 
overhang  the  rapids,  will  maintain  their  equilibrium. 
The  ruthless  finger  of  Time  seems  to  have  touched 
everything,  neglect  being  only  too  manifest  every- 
where ;  and  yet  no  facade  is  so  crumbled  as  not  to 
sustain  a  flower  -  bedecked  balcony.  If  the  houses 
are  inhabited,  they  bristle  all  over  their  whitewashed 
fronts  with  clusters  of  green  and  blossoming  flowers, 
strongly  relieved  by  the  snowy  background.  The 
cloth  doors  of  the  Catholic  churches  swing  invitingly 
at  the  touch,  and  over  the  door  you  are  informed  in 
good  plain  Spanish  that  plenary  indulgences  are 
retailed  within.  Shovel  -  hatted  priests  in  goodly 
numbers  dodge  out  and  in,  but  there  seem  to  be 
few  customers  from  among  the  people.  Persons, 
whom  by  their  dress  and  appearance  one  would  sup- 
pose to  be  in  comfortable  circumstances,  come  boldly 


826  DUE   WEST, 

up  to  tourists  and  ask  for  a  few  cents,  seeming  to 
have  no  feelings  of  pride  or  delicacy.  Travelers 
are  looked  upon  as  fair  game  in  Spain ;  and  still  one 
is  rather  nonplused  to  be  importuned  for  coppers  by 
well-dressed  strangers,  and  is  apt  to  conclude  that 
sturdy  beggars  can  bear  stout  denials.  Now  we  come 
upon  the  ruins  of  a  square  stone  tower,  which  an- 
ciently formed  a  portion  of  the  public  baths ;  and 
here  an  old  Arabian  gate,  arch  and  battlement  still 
standing.  Near  the  Alameda  another  is  seen,  and 
gardens,  once  connected  by  a  subterranean  passage 
with  the  distant  Alhambra,  away  on  the  hill.  Here 
an  arch  and  there  a  crumbling  column,  all  souvenirs 
of  the  exiled  Moor. 

We  visited  the  Royal  Chapel  which  adjoins  the 
Cathedral,  where  the  magnificent  tomb  of  Ferdinand 
and  Isabella  is  the  chief  object  of  interest.  The  effi- 
gies of  the  two  lie  side  by  side,  hewn  from  the  marble 
in  life-like  proportions,  and  rest  upon  a  lofty  sarcoph- 
agus in  front  of  the  great  altar.  Close  by  these  is 
a  similar  tomb  in  white  marble,  representing,  in  the 
same  position  and  style,  Joanna  and  her  husband, 
Philip  of  Burgundy.  In  the  vault  below  were  seen 
the  four  coffins  containing  the  several  bodies  of  the 
royal  dead,  the  leaden  covering  to  one  of  which  had 
been  pried  off  by  French  bayonets  in  search  of  treas- 
ures supposed  to  have  been  buried  with  the  body. 
But  this  sacrilegious  injury  to  the  casket  has  been 
carefully  repaired.  Close  at  hand,  in  a  corner  of  this 
vault,  was  seen  the  metallic  coffin  which  contains  the 
remains  of  Prince  Miguel  of  Portugal,  ■ —  the  little 
fellow  who  was  thrown  from  his  pony  while  riding 
in  the  streets  of  Granada  and  killed.  Had  this  boy 
lived  to  grow  to  man's  estate,  he  would  doubtless 


THE  ROYAL   CHAPEL.  827 

have  united  and  reigned  over  both  Spain  and  Por- 
tugal. The  cathedral,  which  adjoins  the  chapel,  is 
one  of  the  glories  of  Spain,  so  to  speak,  and  is  a  very 
grand  and  noble  structure,  full  of  superb  workman- 
ship, art  treasures  in  oil  paintings,  and  sculpture ; 
among  which  are  examples  from  Alonzo  Cano  and 
Torrigiano.  The  architectural  effect  of  the  interior 
is  harmonious  and  beautiful,  and  was  the  work,  or 
rather  design,  of  Diego  de  Siloe,  whose  father  was  a 
famous  sculptor,  and,  if  we  mistake  not,  was  the  au- 
thor of  that  marvelous  alabaster  tomb  at  the  convent 
of  Miraflores,  in  Burgos.  This  cathedral  was  finished 
three  hundred  and  sixty  odd  years  ago,  a  year  after 
the  death  of  Ferdinand,  who  survived  Isabella  some 
twelve  years. 

In  the  sacristy  we  were  shown  portraits  of  Philip 
and  Joanna,  and,  in  one  of  the  chapels,  admirable 
pictures  of  Ferdinand  and  Isabella.  The  relics  in 
the  sacristy  are  of  special  interest.  Here  we  saw  the 
golden  crown  of  Isabella,  and,  above  all  in  interest, 
the  precious  box  of  pure  gold  from  which  she  sold 
her  jewels,  to  purchase  an  outfit  to  enable  Columbus 
to  sail  on  his  first  voyage  to  the  new  world.  The  box 
is  exquisitely  engraved,  and  has  a  few  precious  stones 
inlaid  upon  it :  we  see  no  such  engraving  nowadays. 
It  was  very  heavy,  as  pure  ore  always  is,  and  was 
some  twelve  inches  long,  half  as  wide,  and  about 
five  inches  in  depth.  It  was  impossible  not  to  feel 
a  thrill  of  emotion  upon  taking  in  one's  hand  this 
sacred  relic.  We  were  also  shown  the  state  sword 
of  Ferdinand,  and  the  royal  sceptre  carried  by  Isa- 
bella. Everything  relating  to  this  "  queen  of  earthly 
queens"  is  of  vital  interest,  and  especially  so  to 
Americans.     It  was  she  whom  Bacon  described  as 


828  DUE   WEST. 

"an  honor  to  her  sex  and  the  corner-stone  of  the 
greatness  of  Spain."  We  were  reminded,  while  look- 
ing upon  these  precious  objects  belonging  to  the 
king  and  queen,  of  the  Bridge  of  Pinos,  which  was 
pointed  out  to  us  on  the  previous  day  as  the  spot 
from  whence  Columbus,  quite  discouraged  and  broken- 
hearted, was  recalled  by  Isabella,  after  having  been 
denied  and  dismissed,  as  both  supposed,  for  the  last 
time.  It  was  at  this  bridge  that  the  messenger  of  the 
relenting  queen  overtook  the  great  Pilot,  and  brought 
him  back  to  arrange  the  expedition  which  resulted 
in  the  discovery  of  America.  We  had  previously  seen 
in  the  Alhambra  the  Hall  of  the  Ambassadors,  where 
the  queen  gave  audience  to  Columbus,  and  now  the 
jewel-box  served  more  strongly  to  emphasize  the  his- 
torical association. 

A  visit  in  the  environs  of  the  city  to  a  place  bear- 
ing the  Moorish  name  of  Hinadamar  should  not  be 
forgotten,  nor  should  any  traveler  who  finds  himself 
in  Granada  neglect  to  go  there.  Here  we  were  shown 
through  the  convent  known  as  the  Cartuja,  which 
has  been  virtually  abandoned  since  monastic  rule  in 
Spain  was  deposed.  It  is  now  in  charge  of  civil 
ofiicers  of  the  government,  and  one  service  is  held 
each  week  in  the  chapel.  It  is  really  wonderful  in 
the  minuteness  and  splendid  finish  of  its  ornamenta- 
tion. Here  is  seen  an  endless  amount  of  jasper,  mar- 
ble, ivory,  ebony,  and  tortoise-shell,  in  the  form  of 
carved  and  inlaid  work,  curious  beyond  description. 
Most  of  these  ornamentations,  as  well  as  the  paint- 
ings, were  the  work  of  brothers  of  the  order,  who 
must  have  spent  half  a  life-time  in  their  consumma- 
tion. The  cloisters  are  surrounded  by  a  wretched 
series  of  life-size  paintings  in  fresco  of  the  mystic 


A   CARTHUSIAN  CONVENT.  329 

type,  also  the  work  of  brothers  attached  to  the  con- 
vent, representing  Carthusians  tormented  by  the  Eng- 
lish in  the  time  of  Henry  VIII.  But  here  and  there 
was  seen  the  work  of  an  artistic  hand  shining  out 
conspicuously  above  its  surroundings.  Apparently 
hanging  high  up  on  the  bare  wall  of  the  sacristy 
is  a  large  wooden  cross,  of  such  statuesque  effect, 
so  perfectly  foreshortened  and  shaded,  that  it  was 
difficult  to  believe  it  to  be  a  painting,  however  care- 
fully examined  from  the  floor.  The  old  sacristan  told 
us  that  it  was  painted  by  a  brother  of  the  order 
named  Juan  Sanchez  Cotan,  who  certainly  had  a 
painter's  genius  and  a  master's  skill  with  the  brush. 
Alonzo  Cano  has  here  one  or  two  remarkable  stat- 
uettes in  marble,  though  we  think  of  him  rather  as  a 
painter  than  a  sculptor.  Some  of  the  large  pieces  of 
variegated  marble  which  form  the  base  work,  fonts, 
and  tables  of  the  chapel,  are  beautiful  examples  of 
the  natural  stone  as  quarried  in  the  neighboring  moun- 
tains. Indeed,  larger,  or  finer  agates  cannot  be  found 
in  Europe  than  those  which  ornament  the  Cartuja. 
In  the  natural  veins  of  the  large  marbles  the  guide 
takes  pleasure  in  suggesting  likenesses  to  various  ob- 
jects, which,  when  once  mentioned,  easily  form  them- 
selves to  the  imagination,  as  a  wayward  fancy  some- 
times depicts  forms  in  the  fleeting  clouds  at  twilight. 
There  is  a  dearth  of  song-birds  in  Granada.  We 
heard  of,  but  not  from,  the  nightingales  in  the  sacred 
precincts  of  the  Alhambra.  Perhaps  it  was  not  the 
favored  season,  however,  for  this  purpose.  The  peo- 
ple themselves  are  naturally  musical  and  music-loving. 
Even  the  street-cries  uttered  by  youthful  and  middle- 
aged  vendors  are  rendered  in  such  harmonious  notes 
as  to  strike  the  ear  agreeably.     This  was  noticed  in 


330  DUE    WEST, 

Malaga,  and  also  claimed  our  attention  here.  On  the 
road  one  not  infrequently  meets  some  roughly-dressed 
muleteer  at  the  head  of  his  string  of  heavily-laden 
animals,  caroling  forth  luscious  notes  in  a  fine  tenor 
voice  which  a  Brignoli  might  envy.  A  taste  for 
music  is  born  in  the  people,  few  of  whom  are  too 
poor  to  own  and  play  upon  a  guitar  or  some  musical 
instrument.  The  only  difference  between  Spain  and 
Italy  in  this  respect  is  that  here  one  does  not  recog- 
nize the  music,  while  in  Italy  we  usually  hear  the 
strains  of  some  familiar  opera. 


CHAPTER  XII. 

Granada  to  Cordova. — An  Antique   City.  —  The  Guadalquivir. — 
Old  Roman  Bridge.  —  The  Grand  Mosque-Cathedral  of  Cordova. 

—  Court  of  Orange-Trees.  —  Army  of  Beggars.  —  From  Cordova 
to  Madrid. — Local  Characteristics  of  the  Capital. — The  Gate  of 
the  Sun.  —  The   King  and  Queen  in  Public. —  The  Royal  Palace. 

—  Spanish  Ladies  and  Gentlemen.  —  The  Fan.  —  The  Picture- 
Gallery  of  Madrid.  —  National  Sport  of  the  Bull-Fight.  —  Coward- 
ice !  —  Interesting  Visit  to  the  City  of  Toledo.  —  The  Escurial. 

The  journey  from  Granada  to  Cordova  covers  a 
distance  of  about  a  hundred  and  twenty-five  miles, 
and  passes  through  a  comparatively  well-cultivated 
and  interesting  countr^?^,  where  the  vine,  the  orange, 
and  the  lemon,  together  with  the  universal  olive,  are 
abundant  and  thrift3^  The  oil  extracted  from  the 
latter  product  forms  a  large  source  of  profit  to  the 
southern  and  middle  provinces  of  Spain.  The  road, 
soon  after  starting,  lay  through  a  succession  of  valleys 
and  lofty  hills,  rendering  the  construction  of  many 
tunnels  and  viaducts  necessary.  Occasionally  we 
came  out  of  one  of  these  tunnels  upon  a  broad  prairie- 
like plain,  where  flocks  of  goats,  sheep,  and  horned 
cattle,  tended  by  herdsmen,  were  struggling  to  get  a 
scanty  subsistence  from  very  unpromising  fields.  Not 
infrequently  there  came  into  view  a  pretty  white 
hamlet  of  a  score  of  dwellings,  dominated  by  a  rude 
castellated  structure,  and  a  square  -  towered  church 
surmounted  by  a  cross.  Here  and  there  were  crumb- 
ling strongholds,  monuments  of  the  days  when  the 
Moors  held  sway  over  the  land. 


832  DUE    WEST. 

At  last  we  reached  Cordova,  where  it  seemed  that 
something  untoward  must  surely  happen,  as  we  were 
driven  through  the  narrow,  deserted,  cobble  -  stoned 
streets  in  a  hotel  omnibus,  the  hubs  of  the  wheels 
scraping  the  stone  buildings  on  either  side  alternately. 
Nobody  but  Moors  would  have  constructed  such  lanes 
and  called  them  streets,  though  doubtless  they  aimed 
to  exclude  the  intense  heat  of  the  sun's  rays.  The 
neatly  white -washed  houses,  like  those  in  Havana, 
have  the  lower  windows  all  barred  with  iron,  as  if 
they  were  so  many  prisons,  and  fitted  to  keep  people 
in  or  out,  as  the  occupants  might  desire.  Looking 
about  us  curiously  it  was  natural  to  recall  the  slum- 
ber of  Rip  Van  Winkle,  and  to  wonder  seriously  if 
the  place  was  destined  ever  to  wake  up.  How  any 
shops  afford  their  proprietors  a  subsistence  here  is 
a  marvel.  The  few  to  be  seen  had  but  one  shutter 
down,  the  rest  being  rusty  with  disuse.  There  were 
a  plenty  of  broad -brimmed  hats  with  priests  under 
them,  a  sure  crop  in  Spain,  but  scarcely  a  citizen 
was  to  be  seen,  or  aught  else  to  be  noticed,  except  a 
few  rusty  towers  and  antique  fountains.  Everything 
seemed  impregnated  with  decay,  more  desolate  than 
an  actual  ruin,  because  of  its  moth  -  eaten  vitality, 
which  left  nothing  to  hope  for.  Plainly  the  only  life 
in  Cordova  is  that  imported  by  curious  travelers 
from  abroad,  who  make  pilgrimages  hither  to  see  its 
few  historic  monuments,  and  to  behold  a  Hercula- 
neum  above  ground. 

We  looked  about  us  for  specimens  of  the  famous 
breed  of  Cordova  horses,  of  whom  poets  have  sung 
and  kings  were  covetous.  There  were  a  few  animals 
to  be  seen  with  fine  manes  and  tails,  with  arching 
necks  and  lustrous  coats,  but  their  forms  would  not 


AN  ANCIENT  CITY.  833 

compare  with  some  neglected  creatures  whose  blood 
showed  through  dirt  and  hard  usage,  at  the  Slave 
Market  in  Tangier.  There  may  have  been  noble 
ancestors  to  these  Cordova  animals  a  thousand  years 
ago,  but  they  must  have  been  crossed  with  mongrel 
races  too  many  times  to  show  good  traces  to-day. 

This  is  one  of  the  most  ancient  cities  in  the  coun- 
try, having  been  the  capital  of  Moorish  Spain  a  thou- 
sand years  ago.  The  walls  which  still  surround  it 
are  flanked  by  octagonal  and  square  towers  of  Sar- 
acenic origin.  From  the  ninth  to  the  twelfth  cen- 
tury it  boasted  a  million  inhabitants,  and  we  read  of 
its  public  library  which  contained  six  hundred  thou- 
sand volumes.  The  present  population  cannot  exceed 
forty  or  fifty  thousand.  Is  it  possible  that  this  was 
once  the  largest  city  in  the  western  world,  —  once  the 
centre  of  European  civilization  ?  So  at  least  history 
informs  us.  Not  even  one  foundation  of  its  three 
hundred  mosques  can  be  found  to-day.  Seneca  and 
Lucan  were  born  here  before  the  time  of  Christ,  and 
the  guide  rehearsed  with  voluble  facility  some  other 
high-sounding  names  of  historic  fame  who  were  na- 
tives of  the  place,  but  who  were  quite  unfamiliar 
to  us.  When  we  pointed,  however,  to  the  broad, 
pale-yellow  river  crossed  by  the  old  Roman  bridge, 
and  asked  its  name,  he  replied :  "  The  Guadalquivir," 
and  the  name  rang  softly  on  the  ear  like  a  strain  of 
half-forgotten  music.  The  old  stone  bridge,  with  its 
broad,  irregular  arches,  was  an  object  of  much  inter- 
est, and  is,  undoubtedly,  with  its  two  flanking  towers, 
the  oldest  visible  object  in  Cordova,  though  it  was  an 
important  city  in  Csesar's  time.  The  bridge  is  about 
the  sixteenth  of  a  mile  in  length,  and  after  two  thou- 
sand years  of  battling  with  the  elements  is  firm  and 


334  DUE   WEST. 

substantial  still.  Romans,  Moors,  and  Spaniards  have 
fiercely  battled  at  its  entrances,  the  tide  of  victory 
and  of  defeat  sweeping  again  and  again  across  its 
roadway,  which  has  many  times  been  made  slippery 
with  human  blood.  How  often  has  it  witnessed 
royal  pageants,  ecclesiastical  parades,  murderous  per- 
sonal conflicts,  and  how  often  been  the  rendezvous 
of  lovers  and  of  whispering  groups  of  conspirators. 
Here  have  been  enacted  many  vivid  scenes  in  the 
long  line  of  centuries.  What  a  volume  might  that 
old  bridge  furnish  of  history  and  of  romance  !  Dar- 
ing our  brief  stay  this  spot  was  a  favorite  resort,  usu- 
ally supplementing  our  visits  to  the  cathedral,  which 
is  near  at  hand.  Leaning  over  its  stone  barriers,  we 
watched  the  rapid  stream  which  doubtless  flows  on 
just  as  it  has  done  for  twenty  centuries.  Palaces 
temples,  towers,  and  shrines  crumble,  nations  rise 
and  fall,  but  the  Guadalquivir  still  flows  on.  Just 
below  the  bridge,  perhaps  fifty  yards  away,  are  the 
ruins  of  an  ancient  Moorish  grist-mill  of  stone,  form- 
ing a  strikingly  picturesque  object,  in  its  shattered 
condition,  amid  the  foaming  rapids. 

We  visited  a  museum  of  antiquities,  but  it  was 
in  a  dark,  inappropriate  building,  gloomy  and  cob- 
webby, smothered  in  dust  and  obscurity ;  so  out  of 
the  way,  indeed,  that  it  was  difficult  to  find,  and  our 
guide  was  obliged  to  inquire  where  the  institution 
was !  The  traveler  may  conscientiously  omit  a  visit 
to  the  blind  alley  which  contains  the  Museum  of 
Antiquities  at  Cordova.  The  guide,  by  the  way,  we 
found  much  more  intent  upon  selling  us  Spanish  lace 
than  anxious  to  impart  desirable  local  information. 
To  be  a  good  guide,  as  Izaak  Walton  says  of  anglers 
and  poets,  a  man  must  be  born  so. 


MOSQUE-CATHEDRAL   OF  CORDOVA.      335 

The  one  great  and  nearly  unrivaled  interest  of 
Cordova  is  its  cathedral,  an  architectural  wonder, 
erected  some  sixteen  centuries  since,  and  hallowed 
by  age  and  historical  associations.  Beautiful  are  its 
still  remaining  thousand  and  one  interior  supporting 
columns,  composed  of  porphyry,  jasper,  granite,  ala- 
baster, verd-antique,  and  marble  of  various  colors. 
Think  of  that  vandal  Charles  V.  destroying  two 
hundred  of  them  :  he  who  was  capable  of  tearing 
down  a  portion  of  the  Alharabra  to  make  room  for 
his  barrack  of  a  palace  !  Each  of  the  columns  up- 
holds a  small  pilaster,  and  between  them  is  a  horse- 
shoe arch,  no  two  columns  being  precisely  alike,  — 
as  they  came  from  Greece,  Rome,  Constantinople, 
Damascus,  Africa,  and  some  are  said  to  have  come 
from  the  Temple  at  Jerusalem,  as  also  from  Paestum 
and  Cumae.  All  the  then  known  world  was  put 
under  contribution  to  furnish  this  wonderful  temple. 
The  great  mosque  was  changed  into  a  cathedral 
after  the  expulsion  of  the  Arabs;  but  a  large  por- 
tion of  the  interior  is  untouched,  and  remains  as  ifc 
was  when  the  caliphs  worshiped  here.  We  felt  op- 
pressed by  a  sensation  of  gloom  wandering  amid  the 
dark  forest  of  pillars.  It  is,  and  always  will  be,  a 
mosque,  as  characteristic  and  typical  as  the  most 
marked  shrine  in  the  East.  The  Holy  of  Holies,  as 
sacred  to  the  Spanish  Arabians  as  Mecca  to  those  of 
the  East,  has  been  preserved  intact,  and  is  by  far  the 
most  interesting  portion  of  the  structure.  Here  all 
the  original  lace -like  ornamentation  is  entirely  un- 
disturbed, and  looks  as  though  it  were  a  hall  taken 
bodily  out  of  the  Alhambra.  The  Moslem  pilgrims 
from  far  and  near  came  to  this  spot,  and  walked 
seven  times  round  it,  the  marble  pavement  being 


336  DUE  WEST. 

visibly  worn  by  the  bare  knees  of  devout  Mussul- 
mans. 

Just  outside  of  this  large  alcove,  which  is  very 
similar  to  a  side  chapel  in  a  modern  cathedral,  there 
was  pointed  out  to  us  the  finest  piece  of  mosaic  in 
the  world.  It  originally  came  from  Constantinople, 
and  was  the  gift  of  the  Emperor  Rom  anus  II.  It 
contains,  in  accordance  with  the  Moslem  faith,  no 
representation  of  any  living  thing ;  but  is  perfection 
in  its  graceful  vines,  leaves,  and  scroll  work.  The 
deep  glowing  colors,  crimson  and  green  dominating, 
are  as  bright  to-day  as  when  it  first  came,  perhaps 
two  thousand  years  ago,  from  the  artist's  hand.  It 
recalled  the  contemporary  productions  exhumed  at 
Pompeii,  and  now  to  be  seen  in  the  Museum  at  Na- 
ples. These  latter  however,  as  we  remember  them, 
are  neither  so  large  nor  so  choice  as  this  master- 
piece in  the  Cordova  Mosque.  The  cathedral,  as  a 
whole,  has  been  pronounced  by  experienced  travelers 
to  be  the  greatest  architectural  curiosity  in  Europe. 
It  is  a  strange  conglomerate  and  jumble  of  incongru- 
ities, half  -  Christian,  half  -  Saracenic,  reminding  one 
strongly  of  the  Church  of  St.  Mark  at  Venice,  —  hav- 
ing, like  that  remarkable  structure,  borrowed  many 
of  its  columns  and  ornaments  from  the  far  East.  In- 
side and  out  it  is  gloomy,  massive,  and  frowning, 
forming  the  most  remarkable  link  between  the  re- 
mote past  and  the  present  existing  in  Spain.  It  ap- 
pears to  be  nearly  as  large  upon  the  ground  as  St. 
Peter's  at  Rome,  and  contains  fifty  separate  chapels 
within  its  capacious  walls.  It  has,  in  its  passage 
through  the  several  dynasties  of  Roman,  Moorish, 
and  Spanish  rule,  received  distinctive  architectural 
marks  from  each.     Its  large,  cool  court  of  orange* 


BESIEGED  BY  BEGGARS.  337 

trees,  centuries  old ;  its  battlemented  wall  and  huge 
gateway  ;  its  famous  fountains  and  its  mingled  palms 
and  tall  cypresses,  all  combine  to  perfect  a  picture 
suggestive  of  the  dead  and  buried  races  connected 
with  its  history. 

This  famous  court-yard  is  of  scarcely  less  interest 
than  the  interior  of  the  great  Cathedral-Mosque  itself. 
It  has  at  each  end  a  colonnade  of  marble'pillars  sup- 
porting circular  arches,  and  the  grounds  are  broad 
and  spacious.  Here  a  battalion  of  professional  beg- 
gars were  drawn  up  in  battle  array  as  we  entered, 
numbering  fifty  or  sixty  of  both  sexes,  and  of  all 
ages.  The  poor  creatures  formed  both  a  pitiable 
and  a  picturesque  group,  composed  of  the  lame,  the 
halt,  and  the  blind.  On  the  greensward  just  back 
of  them,  under  the  shade  of  the  dark-leaved  orange- 
trees,  played  troops  of  careless  children,  who  had 
been  sent  here  by  their  parents  to  beg,  but  had  for- 
gotten their  vocation.  Sitting  on  the  stone  bench, 
which  surrounds  the  outside  walls  of  the  mosque, 
were  little  groups  of  hale  and  hearty  men,  playing 
cards  and  smoking  ;  Avhile  others,  stretched  at  full 
length  upon  the  ground,  slept  just  where  the  dancing 
sunlight  pierced  the  leaves  and  branches  of  the  trees 
and  mottled  their  faces  with  its  shimmering  rays. 
Idleness  is  the  general  business  of  Cordova.  What 
a  strange,  weird  aspect  the  deep  shades  assumed  be- 
neath the  graceful  palms  and  slender  cypresses.  The 
Babel  of  pleading  tongues  from  the  beggars,  the 
merry  voices  of  the  laughing  children,  the  angry  dis- 
pute of  some  card  players,  and  the  cool  business-like 
aspect  of  the  priests  shuffling  about  the  corridors, 
while  a  little  confusing  was  still  impressive. 

The  best  dwelling-houses  in  Cordova  are  built  upon 

22 


838  DUE   WEST. 

the  Moorish  model ;  that  is,  they  have  a  central  court 
or  garden,  visible  from  the  street  entrance,  which  is 
adorned  with  trees,  flowers,  and  fountains,  usually- 
guarded  by  an  iron  gate  and  an  inner  glass  door. 
The  domestic  life  of  the  family  centres  here,  where 
in  summer  a  broad  canvas  is  drawn  over  the  top, 
and  the  meals  are  taken  underneath  in  the  open  air. 
We  saw,  late  in  March,  orange  and  lemon -trees 
blooming  in  these  areas,  as  well  as  Bengal  monthly 
and  common  white  roses,  tea-roses,  verbenas,  tiger- 
lilies,  carnations,  and  scarlet  geraniums.  Neither  the 
palm  nor  the  orange  will  grow  without  shelter  in  this 
part  of  Spain,  —  the  north  winds  being  too  cold  and 
piercing,  —  except  by  artificial  culture.  Spain  is  al- 
most a  treeless  country,  her  immense  olive  orchards 
serving  but  partially  to  redeem  the  barren  aspect 
of  the  southern  and  middle  districts.  In  the  orange 
court  of  the  Grand  Mosque,  the  lofty  old  Moorish 
wall  forms  a  protecting  screen.  The  Alameda  of 
Cordova  must  be  quite  denuded  of  foliage  in  winter, 
exposed  as  it  is  to  the  north  winds  and  frosty  nights. 
It  is  a  short  but  very  broad  thoroughfare,  with  a 
tree -lined  promenade  through  its  centre,  like  that 
at  Malaga,  but  it  seemed  singularly  out  of  place  in 
a  city  so  utterly  void  of  life  and  animation. 

Spain  is  a  country  of  beggars,  but  in  this  ancient 
town  one  is  actually  beset  by  them.  Travelers, 
stopping  at  the  same  hotel  with  us,  abbreviated  their 
stay  in  the  city  on  account  of  this  great  annoyance. 
As  far  as  one  can  judge,  these  people  have  no  press- 
ing reason  for  begging.  It  has  become  a  habit,  and 
strangers  are  importuned  as  a  matter  of  course.  Can- 
not the  priests  do  something  to  mitigate  this  great 
evil  ?     In  Spain  evidence  is  not  lacking  to  show  that 


WEALTH   OF  THE   CHURCHES.  339 

the  Roman  Catholic  faith  inspires  deep  religious  sen- 
timent, but  without  religious  principle.  The  more 
blindly  ignorant  the  masses  of  the  people  are,  the 
greater  is  the  influence  of  the  priesthood.  Not  one 
of  the  famous  Spanish  cathedrals  but  has  within  its 
vaults  so-called  sacred  treasures  of  great  amount,  in 
gold  and  silver  plate  and  other  material,  the  intrinsic 
value  of  which  in  each  instance  large,  being  aggre- 
gated, would  furnish  a  sum  nearly  large  enough  to 
liquidate  the  national  debt.  At  Toledo,  for  instance, 
the  mantle  called  the  Robe  of  the  Virgin  is  covered 
with  precious  stones,  so  large  and  choice  that  its 
value  has  been  estimated  at  a  million  of  Spanish  dol- 
lars ;  and  this  is  but  one  item  of  value  stored  in  that 
rich  church.  So  at  Malaga,  Seville,  Cordova,  and 
Burgos,  not  to  name  other  places  of  which  we  can 
speak  with  less  personal  knowledge,  each  is  a  small 
Golconda  of  riches,  yet  the  common  people  starve. 
A  horde  of  priests,  altogether  out  of  proportion  to 
the  necessities  of  the  case  from  any  point  of  view, 
are  kept  up,  the  most  useless  of  non-producers,  and 
whence  comes  their  support  but  from  this  very  pov- 
erty-burdened mass  of  the  common  people?  When 
Philip  II.  was  told  of  the  destruction  of  the  great 
Spanish  Armada,  which  had  cost  a  hundred  million 
ducats,  he  only  said  :  "  I  thank  God  for  having  given 
me  the  means  of  bearing  such  a  loss  without  embar- 
rassment, and  power  to  fit  out  another  fleet  of  equal 
size  I  "  And  yet  there  were  starving  millions  in  Spain 
at  that  time  as  there  are  to-day. 

From  Cordova  to  Madrid  is  nearly  three  hundred 
miles,  the  first  half  of  which  distance  we  passed  over 
in  the  daytime,  lightening  the  journey  by  enjoyment 
of  the  pleasing  scenery  and  local  peculiarities.  Though 


340  DUE   WEST. 

it  was  quite  early  in  the  spring,  still  the  fields  were 
verdant  and  full  of  promise.  More  than  once  a  gypsy 
camp  was  passed  by  the  side  of  some  cross-road,  pre- 
senting the  usual  domestic  group,  mingled  with  ani- 
mals, covered  carts,  lazy  men  stretched  on  the  green- 
sward, and  busy  women  cooking  the  evening  meal. 
Long  strings  of  mules,  with  wide -spread  panniers, 
came  winding  across  the  plain,  sometimes  in  charge 
of  a  woman  clad  in  gaudy  colors,  while  her  lazy  hus- 
band thrummed  a  guitar,  lying  across  one  of  the 
mules.  Towards  evening  groups  of  peasants,  male 
and  female,  with  farming  tools  in  their  hands,  were 
seen  wending  their  steps  towards  some  hamlet  after 
the  day's  labor.  Arched  stone  bridges,  old  and  moss- 
grown,  came  into  view,  spanning  small  water-courses, 
on  their  way  from  the  mountains  to  join  more  pre- 
tentious streams.  Elevated  spots  often  showed  the 
ruins  of  the  old  stone  towers,  once  a  part  of  some 
feudal  stronghold,  but  the  eye  sought  in  vain  for 
well-wooded  slopes  or  thrifty  groves ;  and  yet,  strange 
to  say,  the  song-birds  which  we  had  missed  further 
south,  in  Andalusia  and  at  Granada,  put  in  an  ap- 
pearance as  we  came  north,  cheering  us  with  their 
soft  trilling  notes  in  the  amber  sunshine  that  radi- 
ated about  the  small  railroad  stations.  Some  of  these 
depots  were  rendered  attractive  and  pretty  by  nicely 
arranged  flower-beds  and  a  few  trees,  imparting  a 
home-like  appearance.  The  ever-varying  scenery  kept 
mind  and  eyes  bus}^  until  by  and  by  Night  dropped 
her  mantle  over  the  face  of  nature,  and  with  the  dark- 
ness came  a  cool  and  nipping  air.  Then  followed 
two  hundred  miles  of  tedious  night  travel,  with  no 
convenience  for  sleeping,  except  such  as  one  could 
obtain  sitting  bolt   upright,  so   that  when  daylight 


THE  SPANISH  CAPITAL.  841 

and  Madrid  arrived  together,  we  were  ready  to  wel- 
come them  both. 

Why  Charles  V.  should  have  made  his  capital  on 
the  spot  now  occupied  by  Madrid  it  is  difficult  to  un- 
derstand—  though  writers  suppose  a  half  a  dozen 
reasons  —  except  that  it  is  the  geographical  centre 
of  Spain.  Eight  or  nine  hundred  years  ago  it  was  a 
fortified  outpost  of  Toledo,  "  imperial  "  Toledo.  It 
is  hemmed  in  on  all  sides  by  arid  plains,  and  has  an 
adjacent  river,  so-called,  but  which  in  America  would 
be  known  as  a  dry  gulch.  If  there  is  any  special 
benefit  to  be  derived  from  a  waterless  river,  we  have 
yet  to  learn  its  character.  Like  the  Arno  at  Flor- 
ence, it  is  troubled  with  a  chronic  thirst;  in  short, 
the  Manzanares  has  the  form  of  a  river  without  the 
circulation.  '  In  the  days  of  Charles  II.  its  dry  bed 
was  turned  into  a  sort  of  race-course  and  drive-way, 
but  since  the  completion  of  the  Prado  it  has  been 
abandoned  for  even  this  purpose.  Though  Madrid  is 
situated  between  two  and  three  thousand  feet  above 
the  level  of  the  sea,  it  does  not  seem  to  possess  the 
advantages  usually  following  such  a  position,  the  cli- 
mate being  scorchingly  hot  in  summer  and  piercingly 
cold  in  winter.  Thus,  in  point  of  climate  and  loca- 
tion, the  Spanish  capital  seems  to  be  a  mistake. 

As  Madrid  was  built  when  the  age  of  cathedrals 
had  passed,  it  has  none  within  its  borders,  though 
there  is  no  lack  of  modern  churches ;  but  it  is  a  large 
and  fine  city,  with  some  four  hundred  thousand  in- 
habitants. It  is  not  noticeable,  like  Genoa,  Rome, 
and  Florence,  for  palaces  and  ancient  monuments ; 
but  it  is  well  laid  out ;  the  streets  are  broad  and  nicely 
paved;  while  numerous  squares  ornamqnt  the  city, 
filled  with  attractive  shrubbery,  fountains,  and  stat- 


342  DUE   WEST. 

ues.  Among  the  latter  we  recall  those  of  Murillo, 
Philip  III.,  Cervantes,  Lopez  de  Vega,  Philip  V., 
Calderon,  and  others.  The  finest  statue  in  the  city, 
to  our  taste,  is  that  of  Philip  IV.,  representing  the 
monarch  as  on  horseback,  the  animal  in  a  prancing 
position,  —  a  wonderfully  life-like  bronze,  designed  by 
Velasquez  and  cast  by  Pietro  Tacca  at  Florence.  It 
forms  the  centre  of  the  Plaza  del  Oriente,  directly  in 
front  of  the  royal  palace,  from  which  it  is  separated, 
however,  by  a  broad  thoroughfare.  According  to 
history,  Galileo  showed  how  the  true  balance  of  the 
horse  could  be  sustained  in  its  remarkable  position, 
the  whole  weight  of  rider  and  animal  resting  on  the 
hind  legs.  On  the  Prado,  the  grand  public  drive  of 
the  citizens,  there  are  fine  marble  statues  and  groups, 
combined  with  fountains,  representative  of  Neptune, 
Apollo,  and  Cybele. 

The  Puerto  del  Sol  is  the  Place  del  'Opera  of  Mad- 
rid, always  full  of  sparkle,  life,  and  color,  radiating 
from  which  there  are  a  dozen  large  streets  with  two 
or  three  broad  boulevards.  Here  all  the  lines  of 
tramways  meet  and  diverge,  and  the  congregated 
fashionable  idlers  of  the  town  hold  high  carnival  daily 
and  nightly.  Our  windows  overlooked  the  Puerto 
del  Sol  (the  Gate  of  the  Sun),  where  the  whirl  of  car- 
riages, the  rush  of  pedestrians,  the  passing  of  military 
bands  with  marching  regiments,  equestrians ;  priests 
decked  out  in  church  paraphernalia,  preceded  by  smok- 
ing incense,  burning  candles,  etc.,  bound  to  some 
death-bed ;  itinerant  peddlers,  and  news-vendors,  each 
hastening  on  some  individual  purpose,  made  the  plaza 
a  scene  of  incessant  movement  from  early  morning 
until  midnight.  Like  Paris  and  Vienna,  Madrid  does 
not  seem  to  awake  until  evening,  and  the  tide  of 


SPANISH  AQUEDUCTS.  348 

life  becomes  the  most  active  under  the  glare  of  gas- 
lights which  are  as  numerous  at  midnight  as  the 
fireflies  that  float  over  a  sugar  plantation.  The  fine 
shops  surrounding  this  brilliant  square,  which  is  the 
real  geographical  heart  of  Madrid,  are  more  Parisian 
than  Spanish.  The  large  plate-glass  windows  present 
a  tempting  array  of  jewelry,  laces,  silver-ware  and 
rich  fancy  goods,  in  a  style  and  of  a  quality  that 
would  do  no  discredit  to  the  Rue  de  la  Paix  or  the 
Boulevard  des  Italiens.  Indeed,  it  is  mostly  French 
people  who  keep  these  shops,  and  there  is  a  manifest 
tendency  of  the  upper  classes  to  adopt  French  man- 
ners, customs,  and  language.  Paris  serves  as  a  model 
to  Madrid  in  all  matters  relating  to  fashionable  life. 
There  is  a  large  fountain  and  mammoth  basin  of 
water  in  the  centre  of  the  square,  a  stream  being 
forced  to  a  height  of  fifty  or  sixty  feet,  in  a  graceful 
column,  night  and  day,  the  effect  of  which  is  height- 
ened by  the  brilliant  array  of  gas-lights.  The  side- 
walks are  here  at  least  forty  feet  wide,  upon  which, 
in  business  hours,  many  merchants  are  accustomed  to 
meet  for  the  discussing  of  affairs,  and  to  gossip  be- 
fore the  several  hotels  which  front  on  the  plaza. 

Speaking  of  the  fountain  in  the  Puerto  del  Sol  re- 
calls the  fact  that  the  citizens  owe  it  to  the  energy 
and  skill  of  foreign  engineers  that  they  enjoy  the  lux- 
ury of  an  ample  supply  of  good  water ;  and  foreign 
engineers  are  doing  or  have  done  the  same  thing  for 
other  Spanish  cities,  though,  in  fact,  only  restoring  the 
ancient  supplies  first  constructed  by  the  quick-witted 
Moors,  and  wantonly  permitted  to  crumble  into  ruin 
by  the  Spaniards.  They  are  not  sufficiently  enter- 
prising or  progressive  to  originate  any  such  scheme 
for  the  public  good.     They  even  dislike  the  railroads, 


344  DUE   WEST. 

though  they  are  compelled  to  use  them ;  dislike  them 
because  they  force  them  to  observe  punctuality,  the 
native  instinct  being  of  the  Chinese  school,  retrospec- 
tive and  retrograding.  Everything  is  exotic  in  Mad- 
rid; nothing  is  produced  in  or  near  the  city  which 
its  daily  consumption  demands.  Strawberries,  butter, 
cheese,  fruits,  meats,  each  comes  from  some  special 
region  far  away  to  this  human  hive  located  in  the 
desert.  The  city  adds  to  its  other  drawbacks  that  of 
being  very  unwholesome  as  a  residence,  and  would 
die  out  from  natural  causes  if  its  population  were 
not  constantly  renewed  from  the  several  provinces. 
There  is  a  native  proverb  to  the  effect  that  so  subtle 
is  the  air  of  Madrid,  it  kills  a  man  but  does  not  put 
out  a  candle.  Why  it  is  so  unhealthy  a  place,  es- 
pecially for  strangers,  it  is  impossible  to  say.  The 
same  extreme  difference  between  the  sunshine  and 
the  shade  is  here  realized  which  one  experiences  at 
Nice,  Mentone,  and  Naples.  The  air  seemed  pure 
and  clear  enough  during  our  two  weeks'  stay,  but 
every  one  admitted  its  very  unwholesome  character. 
When  the  breeze  swept  down  from  the  snowy  Gua- 
darrama,  it  cut  like  a  knife,  but  that  was  a  condition 
of  temperature  which  one  could  guard  against,  not  an 
atmospheric  impurity.  If  Madrid  were  surrounded 
by  and  ornamented  with  trees,  like  Wiesbaden  or 
Baden-Baden,  it  might  prove  a  favorable  sanitary 
measure,  besides  adding  so  much  to  its  beauty.  In 
Paris,  Rome,  or  Venice,  fires  are  not  common  in  do- 
mestic living  rooms,  except  in  extremes  of  weather ; 
but  at  Madrid,  if  the  day  is  cool  and  damp,  the  cheer- 
ful, warmth-diffusing  fire  is  lighted  and  regarded  as 
a  necessity. 

The  king  and  queen  of  Spain  passed  through  the 


THE  ROYAL  HOUSEHOLD.  845 

Puerto  del  Sol  in  an  open  carriage  nearly  every  after- 
noon during  our  stay,  attended  by  half  a  dozen  out- 
riders, and  drawn  by  four  superb  horses ;  for  Alfonso's 
royal  stable,  as  we  can  testify,  is  justly  celebrated. 
The  king  rides  with  his  hat  in  his  hand  in  response 
to  the  ceaseless  recognitions  of  respect  by  the  peo- 
ple, who,  however,  never  cheer  him,  and  yet  he  ap- 
pears to  be  fairly  popular  with  the  masses.  He  has 
seemed  thus  far  to  follow  rather  than  to  lead  public 
sentiment,  perhaps  realizing  the  precarious  nature  of 
his  seat  upon  the  throne;  remembering  that  the  na- 
tion has  a  rather  erratic  manner  of  changing  its  rulers 
when  displeased  with  them.  He  is  quite  youthful  in 
appearance.  The  queen,  though  by  no  means  hand- 
some, has  a  pleasing  face,  and  is  represented  to  be 
of  a  very  amiable  character.  It  will  be  remembered 
that  his  first  wife,.  Mercedes,  died  while  yet  a  bride, 
at  the  age  of  eighteen,  much  regretted  and  much  be- 
loved. Alfonso  has,  in  a  few  public  instances,  shown 
a  progressive  and  enlightened  spirit ;  but  were  he  to 
permit  himself  to  be  demonstrative  in  this  direction, 
he  would  not  be  supported  either  by  his  councillors 
or  the  public,  who  are  imbued  with  the  true  Castilian 
dormancy  even  in  this  nineteenth  century.  He  has 
undertaken,  out  of  his  private  purse,  to  restore  many 
decaying  monuments  of  the  country,  and  is  notice- 
ably spending  money  freely  for  this  purpose,  not  only 
in  Cordova,  but  also  at  Toledo,  Madrid,  and  Burgos. 
On  the  occasions  when  the  king  and  queen  drove 
out,  the  royal  carriage  was  generally  attended  by  a 
second,  in  which  was  ex-empress  Isabella,  at  the  time 
on  a  visit  to  the  royal  palace,  though  she  makes  her 
home  at  present  in  Paris.  She  is  fat,  dowdy,  and  vul- 
gar in  appearance,  with  features  indicative  of  sensu- 


346  DUE    WEST. 

ousness  and  indulgence  in  coarse  appetites.  The  last 
time  we  saw  her  was  in  the  Puerto  del  Sol,  as  she 
rode  in  a  carriage  behind  the  royal  vehicle,  with  a 
lady  companion  by  her  side,  to  whom  she  was  talking 
very  earnestly,  accompanying  her  words  with  the 
most  energetic  and  emphatic  gesticulation  of  the  right 
forefinger.  The  more  we  heard  of  this  woman,  the 
less  we  could  respect  her ;  and  yet  we  were  told  by 
intelligent  natives  that  she  is  to-day  very  popular  in 
Madrid,  much  more  so  than  in  other  parts  of  the 
country.  If  this  is  true,  it  is  only  a  reflection  upon 
the  moral  instincts  of  the  people  themselves.  The 
royal  palace  is  located  upon  a  slightly  rising  site,  and 
is  so  isolated  as  to  give  full  effect  to  its  fine  archi- 
tecture and  excellent  general  design.  It  is  the  only 
building  of  a  remarkable  character,  architecturally, 
in  the  city  ;  which,  for  a  European  capital,  is  in  this 
respect  very  ordinary  and  plain.  The  Madrid  palace 
is  undoubtedly  the  largest  and  finest  in  Europe,  and 
belongs  to  the  Tuscan  style.  It  cost  between  five 
and  six  millions  of  dollars  a  hundred  years  ago.  The 
base  is  granite,  but  the  upper  portion  is  built  of  a  fine 
white  stone,  closely  resembling  marble.  The  royal 
family  being  at  home,  as  well  as  the  ex-queen  being 
there,  we  could  not  visit  the  palace,  but  were  told 
of  its  interior  magnificence,  by  those  familiar  with  it. 
It  contains  a  rich  chapel,  library,  and  theatre,  with  a 
remarkably  beautiful  collection  of  tapestries.  The 
throne  room  is  said  to  be  gorgeous  and  its  ornaments 
of  lavish  cost.  In  the  absence  of  the  royal  occupants, 
strangers  are  admitted  under  proper  auspices. 

The  Prado  is  to  Madrid  what  the  Champs  Elys^es 
and  the  Bois  de  Boulogne  are  to  Paris,  —  a  splendid 
avenue,  through  the  centre  of  which  runs  a  continu- 


OUT-DOOR  AMUSEMENTS.  347 

ous  walk  and  garden,  with  elaborate  stone  fountains, 
somewhat  similar  to  the  Unter.  den  Linden  of  Berlin, 
or  Commonwealth  Avenue,  Boston,  save  that  it  is 
more  extensive  than  either.  The  Prado  nearly  joins 
the  Public  Garden  on  the  borders  of  the  city,  in 
which  there  are  also  fine  carriage  drives,  roadways 
for  equestrians,  many  delightful  shaded  walks,  and 
paths  lined  with  flowers,  myrtles,  groves,  and  sweet- 
leaved  hedges,  intermingled  with  fountains,  lakes, 
arbors,  refreshment  houses,  etc.  On  Sundays  and 
fete  days  these  grounds  are  thronged  with  citizens 
and  their  families  for  out -door  enjoyment,  riding, 
and  driving.  Here  also  several  military  bands  are 
distributed,  adding  to  the  accumulated  attractions. 
There  is  a  certain  dignity  and  appearance  of  refine- 
ment observable  among  the  gentlemen  one  meets  on 
the  Prado  and  in  the  streets,  but  we  look  in  vain  for 
the  traditional  sombrero,  which  has  been  superseded 
by  the  conventional  stove-pipe  hat ;  while  the  grace- 
ful Spanish  cloak  has  given  way  to  the  stiff  Euro- 
pean body  overcoat.  The  Spanish  ladies,  with  their 
large  black  eyes  and  dark  olive  complexions,  are  gen- 
erally quite  handsome,  but  they  rouge,  and  powder, 
and  paint  their  faces  in  a  lavish  manner.  Indeed, 
they  seem  to  go  further  in  this  direction  than  do  the 
Parisians,  obviously  penciling  eyes  and  eyebrows,  — 
an  addition  which  their  brunette  complexion  requires 
least  of  all.  With  the  public  actress  this  resort  is 
admissible,  where  effects  are  necessary  to  be  pro- 
duced for  distant  spectators  in  large  audiences ;  but 
in  daily  life  even  custom  does  not  rob  it  of  its  inev- 
itable aspect  of  vulgarity.  True,  all  nations  resort 
to  such  artifices,  more  or  less,  especially  in  southern 
Europe.     The  Chinese  ladies  carry  the  practice  of 


848  DUE   WEST. 

painting  their  faces  so  far  as  to  amount  to  caricature ; 
and  if  the  Japanese  ladies  do  not  so  generally  follow 
the  example,  they  do  blacken  their  teeth,  which  one 
must  confess  is  more  objectionable  still.  In  these 
faithful  notes  it  must  be  admitted  that  even  the  Jap- 
anese ladies  paint  cheeks  and  lips  with  such  a  tinge 
of  vermilion  as  is  thought  to  be  becoming,  and  en- 
amel their  faces  and  necks.  This,  however,  it  must 
be  remembered  is  before  marriage.  After  that  rela- 
tionship has  taken  place,  as  has  before  been  inti- 
mated, it  becomes  the  ridiculous  practice  of  every 
Japanese  wife  to  render  herself  as  unattractive  as 
possible,  forgetting  that  she  is  thus  liable  to  become 
as  disagreeable  in  the  eyes  of  her  husband  as  in  those 
of  other  people. 

The  Spanish  lady,  like  her  Japanese  sister,  is  a 
great  devotee  to  the  fan,  and  neither  are  ever  seen 
abroad  in  full  dress  without  this  conspicuous  accom- 
paniment. The  importance  of  this  article  of  female 
requirement  is  fully  recognized  at  Madrid,  where 
many  stores  are  devoted  solely  to  its  manufacture 
and  sale;  while  artists  give  much  time  and  genius 
to  their  elaborate  ornamentation,  the  prices  ranging 
from  a  few  shillings  to  ten  doubloons.  The  indis- 
pensable veil,  covering  more  or  less  head,  neck,  and 
face,  would  prove  but  a  poor  substitute  for  the  dainty 
French  bonnet  oh  the  Parisian  boulevards ;  but  in 
Castilian  atmosphere  it  is  as  appropriate  and  becom- 
'ing  as  the  florid-colored  plumage  of  birds  in  the  trop- 
ics. There  is  a  certain  harmony  between  the  dark, 
smooth  skin,  the  glossy  raven  hair,  the  long,  dark 
lashes,  the  blue  veins  of  the  temples,  and  the  na- 
tional head-dress  of  tbe  Spanish  ladies,  which  gratifies 
the  artistic  eye.     Ah!   if  the  mind  in  those  lovely 


THE  MUSEO.  349 

women  were  but  as  noble  as  their  faces !  Unfortu- 
nately, perhaps,  their  very  beauty  makes  their  defects 
the  more  conspicuous.     Ermine  must  be  spotless. 

In  her  splendid  art  collection  of  the  Museo,  the 
city  has  a  treasure  only  equaled  by  the  Louvre  at 
Paris  and  the  galleries  at  Florence.  To  artists,  it  is 
the  one  attraction  of  Madrid,  and  is  principally  com- 
posed of  works  by  the  Spanish  masters,  though  also 
containing  many  other  gems.  Here  we  find  forty- 
four  examples  of  Murillo,  sixty-four  from  Velasquez, 
sixty  by  Rubens,  twenty-five  from  Paul  Veronese, 
thivty-four  from  Tintoretto,  and  many  from  Andrea 
del  Sarto,  Titian,  Vandyke,  Goya,  Ribera,  and  others 
of  similar  artistic  fame,  in  such  profusion  as  to  be 
a  constant  source  of  surprise  to  the  stranger.  Here 
one  is  sure  to  meet,  daily,  inteUigent  Americans, 
French,  Italians,  and  English,  but  very  rarely  Span- 
iards. It  is  believed  that  Murillo  appears  at  his  best 
in  this  collection.  Being  a  native  of  Seville,  he  is 
in  a  measure  seen  at  home  ;  and  artists  declare  that 
his  work  shows  more  of  light,  power,  and  expression 
here  than  anywhere  outside  of  the  Museo.  So  we 
go  to  Antwerp  to  appreciate  Rubens,  though  we  find 
him  so  ably  and  fully  represented  elsewhere.  Velas- 
quez cannot  be  fairly  judged  outside  the  Madrid 
gallery.  He  also  was  at  home  here,  and  his  paintings 
are  not  only  the  most  numerous,  but  are  decidedly  his 
best.  The  arrangement  of  the  pictures  of  the  Museo 
is  severely  criticised ;  some  of  the  best  are  hung  too 
high,  while  those  one  does  not  care  to  study,  or 
scarcely  to  see  at  all,  have  been  accorded  the  best 
lines  in  the  gallery.  There  seems  to  be  no  system 
observed ;  the  hangings  are  frequently  altered,  and 
the  printed  catalogue  is  thus  rendered  of  very  little 


850  DUE   WEST. 

use.  The  building  itself  is  a  large  and  admirable 
structure,  well  adapted  to  the  purpose,  quite  worthy 
to  contain  the  choice  art  treasures  beneath  its  roof. 
When  the  French  were  masters  in  Spain  they  proved 
to  be  terrible  inconoclasts,  leaving  marks  of  their 
devastation  nearly  everywhere  in  one  form  or  another. 
Not  content  with  stealing  many  unequaled  works  of 
art  of  priceless  value,  they  often  wantonly  destroyed 
what  it  was  impossible  to  carry  away.  In  the  tomb 
of  Ferdinand  and  Isabella,  at  Granada,  it  will  be  re- 
membered they  pried  open  the  royal  coffins  in  search 
of  treasure.  At  Seville  they  broke  open  the  coffin 
of  Murillo,  and  scattered  his  ashes  to  the  wind.  Mar- 
shal Soult  treated  the  ashes  of  Cervantes  in  a  similar 
manner.  War  desecrates  all  things,  human  and  di- 
vine ;  but  sometimes  becomes  a  Nemesis,  dispensing 
poetical  justice,  as  when  Waterloo  caused  the  return 
to  Spain  of  a  portion  of  her  despoiled  art-treasures. 

The  bull-fight  is  very  properly  called  the  national 
sport  of  Spain,  and,  we  are  sorry  to  add,  is  typical  of 
the  natural  cruelty  of  her  people.  It  was  the  open- 
ing exhibition  of  the  season  which  was  advertised  to 
take  place  during  the  first  week  of  our  stay  in  the 
city,  and  it  was  announced  for  Sunday  afternoon,  the 
day  usually  selected  for  these  occasions  ;  but  as  it 
proved  to  be  rainy  it  was  postponed  to  the  following 
Thursday.  The  bull-ring  of  the  capital  is  said  to  con- 
tain seating  capacity  for  eighteen  thousand  persons  ; 
and  yet  such  was  the  demand  for  tickets  of  admission, 
that  it  was  a  work  of  some  hours  to  procure  them  at 
all,  and  only  consummated  finally  at  a  considerable 
premium.  Our  seats  were  near  to  those  of  the  royal 
party,  consisting  of  the  king,  queen,  and  ex-queen 
Isabella,  with  a  number  of  ladies  and  gentlemen  of 


THE  BULL-FIGHT.  361 

the  household.  The  easy  and  graceful  manners  of 
the  queen  were  in  strong  contrast  to  the  arrogant 
and  vulgar  style  of  Isabella,  whose  character  is  so 
dark  a  stain  upon  Spanish  royalty.  Every  seat  of 
the  large  circular  theatre  was  occupied.  Open  to  the 
sky,  it  was  not  unlike  what  the  Coliseum  of  Rome 
must  have  been  in  its  glory,  and  held  an  audience,  we 
should  judge,  of  over  seventeen  thousand.  Nearly  all 
classes  were  represented,  for  a  Spaniard  must  be  poor 
indeed  who  cannot  find  a  dollar  to  pay  his  way  into 
the  bull-ring.  The  better  seats  were  occupied  by 
ladies  and  gentlemen,  the  lower  priced  ones  by  the 
masses,  —  both  sexes  being  fully  represented  in  each 
class  of  seats.  Those  located  on  the  east  and  southerly 
sides  are  covered  to  protect  the  grandees,  while  the 
masses  sitting  in  the  sun  hold  fans  or  paper  screens 
before  their  eyes. 

There  was  a  cold,  murderous,  business-like  aspect 
to  all  the  arrangements,  and  everything,  however 
repulsive  to  strangers,  was  taken  by  the  audience 
at  large  quite  as  a  matter  of  course.  The  immense 
crowd  were  not  very  noisy  or  demonstrative,  content- 
ing themselves  with  smoking  and  chatting  together. 
It  was  curious  and  interesting,  while  waiting  for  the 
commencement  of  the  performance,  to  study  the  fea- 
tures of  the  audience,  and  watch  their  earnest  ges- 
ticulations ;  for  the  Spaniards,  like  the  Italians,  talk 
with  their  whole  bodies,  —  hands,  arms,  head,  trunk, 
and  all.  The  ladies,  as  usual,  were  each  supplied 
with  that  prime  necessity,  a  fan  ;  and  it  is  astonishing 
what  a  weapon  of  coquetry  it  becomes  in  the  delicate 
hands  of  a  Spanish  beauty.  Its  coy  archness  is  be- 
yond comparison,  guided  by  the  pliant  wrist  of  the 
owner,  concealing  or  revealing  her  eloquent  glances 


852  DUE   WEST. 

and  features.  With  her  veil  and  her  fan,  a  Spanish 
woman  is  armed  cap-d-pie,  and  in  Cupid's  warfare 
becomes  irresistible. 

The  author  had  seen  the  cruelty  of  the  bull-ring 
exhibited  years  ago  in  the  Spanish  West  Indies,  yet 
to  visit  Madrid,  the  headquarters  of  all  things  Span- 
ish, and  not  to  witness  the  national  sport,  would  have 
been  a  serious  omission  ;  and  therefore,  suppressing  a 
strong  sense  of  distaste,  the  exhibition  was  attended. 
The  hateful  cruelty  of  the  bull -ring  has  been  too 
often  and  too  graphically  described  to  require  from 
us  the  unwelcome  task.  Sufl&ce  it  to  say  we  saw  six 
powerful  and  courageous  bulls  killed,  who,  in  their 
brave  self-defense,  disemboweled  and  killed  thirteen 
horses.  No  man  was  seriously  injured,  though  sev- 
eral were  dismounted,  and  others  run  over  by  the 
enraged  bulls  in  headlong  career  across  the  arena. 
The  picadores  were  mounted  on  poor  hacks,  since  the 
fate  of  the  horse  that  entered  the  ring  was  as  certain 
as  that  of  the  bull  himself.  The  banderilleros  and 
chulos,  who  took  part  in  the  combat  on  foot,  were 
fine  looking,  active  young  fellows ;  and  the  mata- 
dores,  who  performed  the  final  act  of  killing  the  bull 
single-handed,  were  as  a  rule  older  and  more  ex- 
perienced men.  It  must  be  a  practiced  hand  that 
gives  the  last  thrust  to  the  many-times  wounded  and 
nearly  exhausted  creature,  who  will  always  fight  to 
the  very  last  gasp. 

The  matadore  is  regarded  as  quite  a  hero  by  the 
masses  of  the  people,  receiving  a  princely  remunera- 
tion for  his  services.  He  holds  his  head  very  high 
among  his  associates.  One  of  these  matadores  was 
long  the  disgraceful  favorite  of  Queen  Isabella.  We 
came  away  from  this  exhibition  more  than  ever  con- 


CRUELTY  AND   COWARDICE.  853 

vinced  of  the  cowardly  character  of  the  game.  The 
requisite,  on  the  part  of  the  much  lauded  bull-fighter, 
is  not  courage  but  cunning.  He  knows  full  well 
when  the  bull  is  so  nearly  exhausted  as  to  render  his 
final  attack  upon  him  quite  safe.  A  dozen  against 
one,  twelve  armed  men  against  one  animal,  who  has 
the  protection  only  of  his  horns  and  his  stout  courage. 
The  death  of  the  bull  is  sure  from  the  moment  he  en- 
ters the  ring,  but  the  professional  fighters  are  rarely 
hurt,  though  often  very  much  frightened.  Another 
most  shameful  part  of  the  game  is  the  introduction 
of  poor,  broken-down  horses,  who  have  yet  strength 
and  spirit  enough  to  faithfully  obey  their  rider,  and 
so  rush  forward  regardless  of  the  horns  of  the  bull, 
which  will  surely  disembowel  and  lay  them  dead 
upon  the  field.  The  matadore  who  finally  faces  the 
bull  single-handed,  to  give  him  the  coup-de-grace  with 
his  Toledo  blade,  does  not  do  so  until  the  animal  has 
struggled  with  his  other  tormentors  nearly  to  the  last 
gasp,  is  weak  from  the  loss  of  blood,  and  his  strength 
exliausted  by  a  long  and  gallant  fight,  so  that  he  al- 
ready staggers  and  is  nearly  blind  with  accumulated 
torments.  The  poor  creature  is  but  a  sorry  victim  for 
the  fresh,  well-armed,  practiced  butcher,  who  comes 
to  give  him  the  finishing  stroke.  We  would  empha- 
size the  remark  that  the  whole  game  of  the  bull-ring 
is,  on  the  part  of  the  chulos,  picadores,  and  matadores, 
a  shameful  exhibition  not  only  of  the  most  disgrace- 
ful cruelty  but  also  of  consummate  cowardice. 

Black  is  the  almost  universal  color  worn  by  ladies 
and  gentlemen  in  public.  Parisian  fashions  as  to 
cut  and  material  are  very  generally  adopted  ;  and,  as 
has  been  intimated,  the  French  model  is  paramount 
in  all  things.     A  business  resident  remarked  to  us 

23 


354  DUE   WEST, 

that  the  French  language  was  becoming  so  universal 
that  it  absoUitely  threatened  to  supersede  the  native 
tongue.  Bonnets  are  worn  in  walking  and  driving ; 
but  at  the  bull-fight,  the  concert-room,  and  the  the- 
atre the  national  lace  head-dress  is  still  tenaciously 
and  becomingly  adhered  to.  In  manners  the  better 
class  of  Spaniards  are  extremely  courteous,  and  al- 
ways profuse  in  their  offers  of  services,  though  it  is 
hardly  to  be  expected  that  their  generosity  will  be 
put  to  the  test.  Gentlemen  will  smoke  in  the  ladies' 
faces  in  the  street,  the  corridors,  cafes,  cars,  any- 
where, apparently  not  being  able  to  comprehend  that 
it  may  be  offensive.  Even  in  the  dining-rooms  of 
the  hotels,  the  cigar  or  cigarette  is  freely  lighted, 
and  smoked  with  the  coffee  while  ladies  are  present. 
In  short,  tobacco  seems  to  be  a  necessity  to  the  aver- 
age Spaniard,  both  sleeping  and  waking,  for  they 
smoke  in  bed  also.  Perhaps  this  apparent  obtuse- 
ness  on  the  part  of  gentlemen  arises  from  the  well- 
known  fact  that  many  of  the  ladies  themselves  in- 
dulge in  the  cigarette,  though,  rarely  in  public.  The 
writer  has  more  than  once  seen  the  practice  as  ex- 
hibited in  popular  cafes  whither  both  sexes  resorted. 
At  the  bull-ring  many  of  the  common  class  of  women 
had  cigarettes  between  their  lips. 

Sunday  is  an  acknowledged  gala-day  in  Madrid, 
though  the  attendance  upon  early  mass  is  very  geur 
eral,  especially  among  the  women.  It  is  here,  as  at 
Paris  and  other  European  capitals,  the  chosen  day 
for  military  parades,  horse-races,  and  the  bull-fight. 
Most  of  the  shops  are  open  and  realize  a  profitable 
business,  and  especially  is  this  the  case  with  those 
devoted  to  the  sale  of  cigars,  liquors,  fancy  goods, 
and  the  cafes :  with  them  it  is  the  busiest  day  of  the 


SCENES  ON   THE  PR  A  DO.  356 

whole  week.  The  lottery  ticket  vendor  makes  a 
double  day's  work  on  this  occasion,  and  the  itinerant 
gamblers,  with  portable  stands,  have  crowds  about 
their  tables  wherever  they  locate.  The  flower-gh-ls, 
with  dainty  little  baskets,  rich  in  color  and  captivat- 
ing in  fragrance,  press  buttonhole  bouquets  on  the 
pedestrians,  and,  shall  we  whisper  it  ?  make  appoint- 
ments with  susceptible  cavaliers ;  while  men  peram- 
bulate the  streets  with  bon-bons  displayed  upon  cases 
hung  from  their  necks ;  in  short,  Sunday  is  made  a 
fete  day,  when  grandees  and  beggars  complacently 
come  forth  like  marching  regiments  into  the  Puerto 
del  Sol.  The  Prado  and  public  gardens  are  thronged 
with  gayly- dressed  people,  children,  and  nurses, — 
the  costume  of  the  latter  got  up  in  the  most  theatrical 
style,  with  broad  red  or  blue  ribbons  hanging  down 
behind  from  their  snow-white  caps,  and  sweeping  the 
very  ground  at  their  heels.  No  one  stays  within 
doors  on  Sunday  in  Madrid,  and  all  Europe  loves  the 
out-door  sunshine. 

We  have  said  that  the  Spanish  capital  was  defi- 
cient in  buildings  of  architectural  pretension.  This 
is  quite  true  ;  but  the  country  is  rich  in  the  character 
of  her  monuments,  possessing  one  order  of  architec- 
ture elsewhere  little  known.  Our  guide  called  it  very 
appropriately  the  Morisco  style,  which  has  grown  out 
of  the  combination  of  Moorish  and  Christian  art. 
The  former  attained,  during  the  Middle  Ages,  as 
great  importance  in  Spain  as  in  the  East.  This  is, 
perhaps,  more  clearly  manifested  in  Andalusia  than 
elsewhere ;  here  its  harmony  is  presented  in  many 
brilliant  examples  and  combinations.  The  greatest 
wealth  of  the  country  is  to  be  found  in  its  historic 
monuments,  its  well-defined  Roman  period  being  es- 


356  DUE   WEST, 

pecially  rich  in  architectural  remains ;  and,  as  to 
cathedrals,  nowhere  else  are  they  to  be  found  so 
richly  and  superbly  endowed. 

The  cars  took  us  to  Toledo,  a  distance  of  about 
forty  miles,  in  an  hour  and  a  half,  landing  us  in  a 
strange,  old  place,  the  very  embodiment  of  antiquity, 
and  the  capital  of  Gothic  Spain.  Here  let  us  drop  a 
hint  gained  by  experience.  If  the  reader  makes  the 
excursion  to  Toledo  from  Madrid,  he  will  most  prob- 
ably start  early  in  the  morning  and  get  back  late  at 
night,  as  one  day  in  the  place  will  afford  all  the  time 
absolutely  necessary  to  visit  and  enjoy  its  most  nota- 
ble objects.  A  prepared  luncheon  basket  should  be 
taken  from  Madrid.  This  will  obviate  the  necessity 
of  encountering  the  dirt,  unsavory  food,  and  extor- 
tion of  the  fifth-rate  hotels  of  Toledo.  It  has  been 
said  that  banditti  have  been  suppressed  in  Spain  ; 
perhaps  so,  on  the  public  roads.  It  may  be  they 
have  gone  into  the  hotel  business,  as  a  safer  and  less 
conspicuous  mode  of  robbing  travelers.  At  Toledo 
the  rule  of  the  Moor  is  seen  in  foot-prints  no  time 
can  obliterate,  and  to  visit  which  is  like  the  reali- 
zation of  a  mediaeval  dream.  The  sombre  streets  are 
strangely  winding,  irregular,  and  steep ;  the  reason 
for  constructing  them  thus  was,  doubtless,  that  they 
might  be  the  more  easily  defended  when  attacked  by 
a  foreign  enemy.  In  the  days  of  her  prime,  Toledo 
saw  many  battles,  both  inside  and  outside  of  her 
gates.  One  can  touch  the  houses  of  these  streets  on 
both  sides  at  the  same  time,  by  merely  extending  the 
arms. 

There  are  scores  of  deserted  buildings  locked  up, 
the  heavy  gates  studded  with  great,  protruding,  iron- 
headed  nails,  while  the  lower  windows   are  closely 


A   DILAPIDATED  CITY.  857 

iron -grated.  These  houses  have  paved  entrances, 
leading  to  open  areas,  or  courts,  with  galleries  around 
them,  upon  which  the  various  rooms  open.  The  gal- 
leries are  of  carved  and  latticed  wood,  generally  in 
good  preservation,  but  the  main  structure  is  of  stone, 
most  substantially  built,  everything  testifying  to  their 
Moorish  origin.  Some  of  these  houses,  once  palaces, 
are  now  used  for  storage  purposes  ;  some  for  business 
warehouses,  manufactories,  and  carpenters'  shops. 
One  would  suppose,  in  such  a  dull,  sleepy,  dormant 
place,  that  the  streets  would  be  grass-grown  ;  but 
there  is  no  grass.  Yet  between  the  loosely-fitting 
slabs  of  stone  pavement,  here  and  there,  little  fresh 
flowers,  of  some  unknown  species,  struggled  up  into 
a  pale,  fragile  existence,  with  stems  white  in  place  of 
green,  showing  the  absence  of  sunlight,  so  necessary 
to  both  human  and  vegetable  life.  They  had  no  fra- 
grance, these  stray  children  from  Flora's  kingdom, 
but  looked  very  much  like  forget-me-nots,  reminding 
one  of  the  little  flower  which  sprung  up  through  the 
hard  pavement  of  Picciola's  prison.  Dilapidation  is 
written  everywhere  in  this  Oriental  atmosphere.  The 
Moors  of  Morocco  still  believe  that  they  will  yet  be 
restored  to  the  Spanish  home  of  their  ancestors,  and 
the  keys  of  these  Toledo  houses  have  been  handed 
down  from  generation  to  generation  as  emblems  of 
their  rights,  tokens  which  were  pointed  out  to  us  at 
Tangier ;  but  not,  until  we  had  visited  Toledo,  was 
the  idea  which  they  involved  fully  appreciated.  One 
cannot  but  realize  a  certain  respect  for  the  Moors, 
while  wandering  among  these  scenes  of  the  long-bur- 
ied past.  Whatever  may  have  been  their  failings, 
they  must  have  contrasted  favorably  with  the  present 
occupants,  who  seem  strangely  out  of  place.    In  those 


858  DUE   WEST. 

ancient  daj^s  the  city  contained  a  quarter  of  a  million 
of  inhabitants ;  to-day  it  has  barely  fifteen  thousand. 
The  river  Tagus  almost  suiTounds  Toledo,  and  is  not, 
like  the  Manzanares,  merely  a  dry  ditch,  but  a  full, 
rapid,  rushing  river. 

The  cathedral  at  Toledo  is  its  most  prominent  ob- 
ject of  interest,  and  has  a  deservedly  high  fame ; 
while  clustering  about  it,  in  the  very  heart  of  the  old 
place,  are  many  churches,  convents,  and  palaces,  — 
though  a  large  share  of  them  are  untenanted,  and  as 
silent  as  the  tomb.  But  before  entering  the  cathe- 
dral we  visited  the  Alcazar,  formerly  a  royal  palace 
of  Charles  V.,  and  now  the  West  Point  of  Spain, 
where  her  sons  are  educated  for  the  army.  Under 
the  Moors,  ten  centuries  ago,  it  was  a  fortress,  then  a 
palace,  now  an  academy,  capable  of  accommodating 
six  hundred  pupils.  The  view  from  the  Alcazar, 
which  dominates  the  entire  city,  is  vast  and  impres- 
sive, the  building  itself  being  also  the  first  object 
seen  from  a  distance  when  one  is  approaching  Toledo. 
It  is  upon  a  bleak  height.  As  you  come  out  of  the 
broad  portals  of  the  Alcazar  (Al-casa-zar,  the  czar's 
house),  you  walk  to  the  edge  of  the  precipitous  rock 
upon  which  it  stands,  and  contemplate  the  view  across 
the  far-reaching  plain,  gloomy  and  desolate,  while  at 
the  base  of  the  rock  rushes  past  the  rapid  Tagus. 
This  whole  valley,  now  so  dead  and  silent,  once 
teemed  with  a  dense  population,  and  sent  forth  ar- 
mies, and  fought  great  battles,  in  the  days  of  the 
Goths.  The  cathedral  is  visited  by  architects  from 
all  parts  of  Europe  and  America,  solely  as  a  profes- 
sional study.  It  is  a  remarkably  fine  sample  of  the 
Gothic  order,  which  Coleridge  called  petrified  relig- 
ion, and  exhibits  in  all  its  parts  that  great  achieve- 


A   GOTHIC  CATHEDRAL.  859 

ment  of  the  art,  entire  harmony  of  design  and  exe- 
cution ;  while  the  richness  of  its  ornamentation  and 
its  artistic  wealth,  not  to  mention,  in  detail,  its  gold 
and  silver  plate,  make  it  the  rival  of  most  other  ca- 
thedrals in  the  world,  with  the  possible  exception  of 
that  at  Burgos.  Its  size  is  vast,  with  a  tower  reach- 
ing three  hundred  feet  heavenward,  and  the  interior 
having  five  great  naves,  divided  by  over  eighty  lofty 
columns.  It  is  said  to  contain  more  stained -glass 
windows  than  any  other  cathedral  that  was  ever  built. 
The  effect  of  the  clear  morning  light,  as  imparted  to 
the  interior  through  this  great  surface  of  delicately- 
tinted  glass,  is  remarkably  beautiful.  The  high  altarj 
a  marvel  of  splendid  workmanship  and  minute  detail, 
is  yet  a  little  confusing,  from  the  myriads  of  statues, 
groups,  emblems,  columns,  gilding,  and  ornaments 
generally ;  but  it  seems  to  be  the  purpose  of  most  of 
these  Roman  Catholic  churches  to  turn  the  altars  into 
a  species  of  museum.  Guides  are  always  plentifully 
supplied  with  marvelous  legends  for  travelers;  and 
ours,  on  this  occasion,  simply  bristled  all  over  with 
them  as  regarded  this  church.  One  of  these,  which 
he  persisted  in  pouring  into  our  unbelieving  ears,  was 
to  the  effect  that,  when  the  cathedral  was  completed 
and  dedicated,  so  perfect  was  it  found  to  be  that  the 
Virgin  descended  bodily  to  visit  it,  and  to  express,  by 
her  presence,  her  entire  satisfaction  ! 

Toledo  stands  there  upon  the  boldest  promontory 
of  the  Tagus,  —  a  dead  and  virtually  deserted  city. 
Coveted  by  various  conquerors,  she  has  been  be- 
sieged more  than  twenty  times  ;  so  that  the  river  be- 
neath the  walls  has  often  flowed  red  with  human 
gore,  where  it  is  spanned  by  the  graceful  bridge  of 
Alcantara.     Phoenicians,  Romans,  Goths,  Moors,  and 


360  DUE    WEST. 

Christians,  all  have  fought  for  and  have  possessed,  for 
a  greater  or  less  period,  the  castle-crowned  city.  Its 
story  is  written  in  letters  scadet  with  blood  and 
dark  with  misery;  illustrating  Irving's  idea  that  his- 
tory is  but  a  kind  of  Newgate  calendar,  a  register  of 
the  crimes  and  miseries  that  man  has  inflicted  on  his 
fellow-man.  Only  the  skeleton  of  a  once  great  and 
thriving  capital  remains.  It  has  no  commerce  and 
but  one  industry,  —  the  manufacture  of  arms  and 
sword-blades, — which  gives  occupation  to  a  couple  of 
hundred  souls,  hardly  more.  The  coming  and  going 
of  visitors  from  other  lands  gives  it  a  little  flutter  of 
daily  life,  like  a  fitful  candle  blazing  up  for  a  moment 
and  then  dying  down  in  the  socket,  making  darkness 
only  the  more  visible  by  contrast.  The  once  cele- 
brated sword  factory  was  found  to  be  of  little  inter- 
est, though  we  were  told  that  better  blades  are  manu- 
factured here  to-day  than  in  olden  time,  when  it  won 
such  repute  in  this  special  line.  So  well  are  these 
blades  tempered,  that  it  is  possible  to  bend  them  like 
a  watch  spring  without  breaking  them.  In  looking 
at  the  present  condition  of  this  once  famous  seat  of 
industry  and  power,  recalling  her  arts,  manufactures, 
and  commerce,  it  must  be  remembered  that  outside 
of  the  immediate  walls,  which  form  the  citadel,  as  it 
were,  of  a  large  and  extended  population,  were  over 
forty  thriving  towns  and  villages,  located  in  the  val- 
ley of  the  Tagus,  under  the  shadow  of  her  wing. 
These  communities  and  their  homes  have  all  disap- 
peared, —  pastures  and  fields  of  grain  covering  their 
dust  from  the  eyes  of  the  curious  traveler.  The  nar- 
row, silent,  doleful  streets  of  the  old  city,  with  its 
overhanging  roofs  and  yawning  arches,  leave  a  sad 
memory  on  the  brain,  as  we  turn  away  from  its 
crumbling  walls  and  antique  Moorish  gates. 


THE  EIGHTH    WONDER.  361 

An  excursion  of  thirty-five  miles,  to  a  station  of 
the  same  name,  took  us  from  Madrid  to  tlie  Escurial, 
which  the  Spaniards  in  their  egotism  call  the  eighth 
wonder  of  the  world.  This  vast  pile  of  buildings, 
composed  entirely  of  granite,  and  as  uniform  as  a 
military  barrack,  is  nearly  a  mile  in  circumference,  — 
tomb,  palace,  cathedral,  monastery,  one  and  all  com- 
bined. The  wilderness  selected  as  the  site  of  the 
structure  shows  about  as  little  reason  as  does  that  of 
the  locality  of  Madrid ;  utter  barrenness  and  want  of 
human  or  vegetable  life  are  its  most  prominent  char- 
acteristics. Here,  however,  are  congregated  a  vast 
number  of  curious  and  interesting  objects,  while 
the  place  is  redolent  of  vivid  historical  associations. 
One  of  the  first  objects  shown  us  here  was  the  tomb 
of  Mercedes,  the  child  -  wife  of  the  present  king ; 
also,  in  a  deep  octagonal  vault,  the  sepulchres  of  some 
thirty  royal  individuals,  kings  and  mothers  of  kings. 
Among  them  were  Philip  II.,  Philip  V.,  Ferdinand 
VI.,  Charles  V.,  etc.  The  niche  occupied  by  Philip 
IV.  attracted  special  notice  from  the  fact  that  the 
eccentric  monarch,  during  his  life-time,  often  seated 
himself  here  to  listen  to  mass,  an  idea  more  singu- 
lar than  reverential.  The  coffin  of  Charles  V.  was 
opened  so  late  as  1871,  during  the  visit  of  the  Em- 
peror of  Brazil,  when  the  face  of  the  corpse  was 
found  to  be  entire,  —  eyebrows,  hair,  and  all,  though 
black  and  shriveled.  The  last  burial  here  was  that 
of  Ferdinand  VII.  This  octagon  vault  is  called  the 
Pantheon  of  the  Escurial ;  but  it  is  nothing  more 
than  a  theatrical  show  room  :  nothing  could  be  more 
inappropriate.  While  we  were  in  Madrid,  ex-queen 
Isabella  visited  the  vault,  —  her  own  last  resting- 
place  being  already  designated  herein,  —  and  caused 


362  DUE    WEST. 

mass  to  be  performed  while  she  kneeled  among  the 
coffins,  as  Philip  IV.  was  accustomed  to  do.  She 
does  this  once  a  year,  at  the  hour  of  midnight,  but 
why  that  period  is  chosen  we  do  not  know. 

A  room  adjoining  the  church,  close  beside  the 
altar,  is  shown  to  the  visitor,  where  that  prince  of 
bigots,  Philip  II.,  passed  the  last  days  and  hours  of 
his  life.  It  is  a  scantily  furnished  apartment,  with 
no  upholstery,  hard  chairs,  and  bare  wooden  tables  ; 
with  a  globe,  scales,  compasses,  and  a  few  rude  do- 
mestic articles,  writing  material,  half  a  dozen  maps, 
and  three  or  four  small  cabinet  pictures  on  the  walls, 
forming  the  entire  inventory.  A  large  chair  in  which 
he  sat,  and  the  coarse  hard  bed  on  which  he  slept  and 
died,  are  also  seen  in  a  little  adjoining  room  scarcely 
ten  feet  square.  It  was  here  that  he  received  with 
such  apparent  indifference  the  intelligence  of  the  de- 
struction of  the  Spanish  Armada,  which  had  cost  over 
a  hundred  million  ducats  and  twenty  years  of  use- 
less labor.  Everything  is  left  as  it  was  at  the  time 
of  his  death.  A  sliding  panel  was  so  arranged  in 
the  little  sleeping-room  that  the  king  could  sit  or  lie 
there,  when  too  ill  to  do  otherwise,  and  yet  attend 
upon  the  performance  of  public  mass.  With  this 
door  put  aside,  the  king  lay  here  on  that  September 
Sabbath  day,  in  the  year  of  our  Lord,  1598,  —  after 
having  just  ordered  a  white  satin  lining  for  his 
bronze  coffin,  —  grasping  the  crucifix  which  his  fa- 
ther, Charles  Y.,  held  when  dying,  and  with  eyes 
fixed  upon  the  high  altar,  attended  by  his  confessor 
and  children,  the  worn-out  monarch  breathed  his  last. 
Little  as  we  sympathized  with  the  character  of  the 
royal  occupant,  there  was  yet  something  touching  in 
the  stern   simplicity  with  which  he   surrounded  his 


THE  ESCUniAL.  363 

own  domestic  life.  Self-abnegation  must  have  been 
with  him  a  ruling  principle.  The  cell  of  a  Francis- 
can monk  could  not  have  been  more  severely  simple 
and  plain  than  that  small  living  and  sleeping  apart- 
ment. 

A  few  statistics,  as  rattled  off  by  our  guide,  will 
give  the  reader  some  idea  o£  the  vastness  of  the  Es- 
curial.  There  are  sixteen  open  courts  within  its  outer 
walls,  eighty  staircases,  twelve  thousand  doors  (?), 
and  some  three  thousand  windows.  There  are  over 
forty  altars.  The  main  church  is  as  large  as  most 
European  cathedrals,  being  three  hundred  feet  long, 
over  two  hundred  wide,  and  three  hundred  and  twenty 
feet  high.  We  know  of  no  cathedral  in  Italy  so  elab- 
orately and  beautifully  finished,  and  yet  this  was  only 
a  part  of  the  princely  household  of  Philip  II.  The 
Escurial  is  now  only  a  show  place,  so  to  speak,  of  no 
present  use  except  as  a  historical  link  and  a  tomb. 
There  are  a  few,  very  few,  fine  paintings  left  within 
its  walls,  most  of  those  which  originally  hung  here 
having  been  very  properly  removed  to  the  Museo  at 
Madrid.  In  the  refectory  will  be  noticed  a  choice 
painting  by  Titian,  of  which  we  are  a  little  surprised 
that  no  more  has  been  said,  for  it  is  a  remarkable 
painting.  On  the  same  wall  are  two  or  three  can- 
vases by  Velasquez,  but  none  by  other  artists  of  re- 
pute. On  the  walls  of  a  large  hall,  called  by  the 
guide  the  Hall  of  Battles,  is  painted  a  most  crude  and 
inartistic  series  of  pictures,  only  worthy  of  a  Chinese 
artist,  representing  a  series  of  battles  supposed  to  de- 
pict Spanish  conquests. 

We  were  also  shown,  preserved  here,  a  large  and 
useless  library,  kept  in  a  noble  hall  over  two  hundred 
feet  long  and  fifty  or  sixty  wide,  the  books  being  all 


864  DUE   WEST. 

arranged  with  their  backs  to  the  wall,  so  that  even 
the  titles  cannot  be  read,  —  a  plan  which  one  would 
say  must  be  the  device  of  some  madman.  The  book- 
cases are  made  of  ebony,  cedar,  orange,  and  other 
choice  woods,  and  contain  some  sixty  thousand  vol- 
umes. What  possible  historic  wealth  may  here  lie 
concealed,  —  what  noble  thoughts  and  minds  em- 
balmed I  In  the  domestic  or  dwelling  portion  of  the 
Escurial  the  apartments  are  very  finely  inlaid  with 
various  woods  on  the  doors,  dado,  and  on  the  floors  ; 
besides  which  they  contain  some  delicate  antique  fur- 
niture of  great  beauty,  finished  mostly  in  various  pat- 
terns of  inlaid  woods.  A  few  cabinet  pictures  are 
seen  upon  the  walls,  and  one  or  two  large  hall-like 
apartments  are  hung  with  tapestry,  which,  although 
centuries  old,  is  perfect  in  texture  and  the  freshness 
of  the  colors.  It  might  have  come  from  the  Gobe- 
lins' factory  during  this  present  year  of  our  Lord, 
and  it  could  not  be  brighter  or  more  perfect. 

The  grounds  surrounding  the  structure  are  laid  out, 
on  the  south  side,  in  pleasant  gardens,  where  foun- 
tains, flowers,  and  a  few  inferior  marble  statues  serve 
for  external  finish.  On  the  outside,  high  up  above 
the  dome,  is  seen  the  famous  plate  of  gold,  an  inch 
thick,  containing  some  ten  square  feet  of  surface, 
and  forming  a  monument  of  the  bravado  and  extrav- 
agance of  Philip  II.,  who  put  it  there  in  reply  to 
the  assertion  of  his  enemies  that  he  had  financially 
ruined  himself  in  building  so  costly  a  palace.  We 
may  expect  one  of  these  days  to  hear  of  its  having 
been  taken  down  and  coined  into  shining  doubloons. 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

From  Madrid  to  Burgos.  —  Through  a  Barren  Country.  —  The  Cathe- 
dral of  Burgos.  —  Monastery  of  Miraflores.  —  Local  Pictures.  —  A 
Spanish  Inn.  —  Convent  of  Los  Huelgas.  —  From. Burgos  to  San 
Sebastian.  —  Northern  Spain.  —  A  Spanish  Watering  Place.  —  Bay- 
onne.  —  Lower  Pyrenees.  —  Biarritz.  —  A  Basque  Postilion.  —  A 
Pleasant  Drive.  —  On  Leaving  Spain.  —  Sunday  and  Balloons  at 
Bordeaux.  —  On  to  Paris.  —  Antwerp  and  its  Art  Treasures.  — 
Embarking  for  America.  —  End  of  the  Long  Journey. 

From  Madrid  northward  to  Burgos  is  a  little  less 
than  two  hundred  miles,  yet  a  whole  day  was  con- 
sumed in  the  transit  by  rail.  The  general  aspect  of 
the  country  was  that  of  undulating  plains,  barren  and 
arid,  without  trees,  houses,  or  signs  of  animal  life, 
sometimes  for  long  and  weary  distances.  Now  and 
then  a  small  herd  of  goats,  and  here  and  there  a  hut, 
or  a  group  of  miserable  hovels,  worthy  of  India, 
came  into  view,  followed  by  a  hilly,  half-mountainous 
district,  but  yet  solitary  as  a  desert.  Regarding  nat- 
ural beauty  of  scenery,  Spain,  as  a  whole,  offers  less 
attraction  than  any  other  European  country.  Its 
vegetation,  except  in  the  southern  provinces,  is  of  the 
sterile  class;  its  trees,  sparse,  of  poor  development, 
and  circumscribed  in  variety.  Even  the  grass  is 
stunted  and  yellow.  Such  a  condition  of  vegetable 
life  accounts  for  the  absence  of  singing-birds,  or,  in- 
deed, of  any  birds  at  all,  in  whole  districts  of  the 
country.  The  traveler  must  be  content  with  his" 
torical  monuments,  which  are  numerous  and  striking, 
and  with  the  strange  records  attached  to  many  of 


866  DUE   WEST, 

them.  Antiquity  consecrates  many  things  wMch  in 
their  prime  must  have  been  intolerable.  The  sight 
of  old  sleepy  cities,  ancient  churches,  cathedrals,  and 
deserted  convents,  must  often  compensate  for  an  in- 
different supper  and  a  hard  bed. 

Since  the  days  of  Ferdinand  and  Isabella,  Spain 
has  emulated  China  in  her  stand- still  policy.  Per- 
haps these  facts  are  very  generally  realized,  and  hence 
so  fev7  people,  comparatively,  visit  the  country,  but  it 
is  a  serious  mistake  for  those  who  can  afford  the  time 
and  money  not  to  do  so.  There  is  quite  enough  legit- 
imate attraction  to  repay  any  intelligent  person  for 
all  the  annoyances  and  trouble  which  are  necessarily 
encountered.  It  was  past  midnight  when  we  arrived 
at  the  railroad  station  at  Burgos,  where,  having  tel- 
egraphed from  Madrid,  a  very  dirty  omnibus  was  in 
waiting  to  take  us  to  the  hotel.  How  that  vehicle 
did  smell  of  garlic,  stale  tobacco,  and  accumulated 
filth,  to  which  the  odor  of  an  ill-trimmed  kerosene 
lamp  added  its  pungent  flavor.  But  we  were  soon 
set  down  before  the  hotel,  where  there  was  not  a 
light  to  be  seen,  every  one,  servants  and  all,  being 
sound  asleep.  An  entrance  being  finally  achieved, 
the  baggage  was  passed  in,  and  rooms  assigned  to  us. 
As  hunger  is  the  best  sauce  for  supper,  so  fatigue 
makes  even  indifferent  lodgings  acceptable ;  and  we 
were  soon  half -dreaming  of  the  familiar  legends 
and  history  of  Burgos, —  how  centuries  ago  a  knight 
of  Castile,  Diego  Porcelos,  had  a  lovely  daughter, 
named  Sulla  Bella,  whom  he  gave  as  a  bride  to  a  Ger- 
man cavalier,  and  together  they  founded  this  place 
and  fortified  it.  They  called  it  Burg,  a  fortified 
place,  hence  Burgos.  We  thought  of  the  Cid  and 
Lis  gallant  war-horse,  Baveica ;  of  Edward  I.,  of  the 


FIRST  IMPRESSIONS  OF  BURGOS.        367 

riclily  endowed  cathedral,  and  the  old  monastery  where 
rest  Juan  II.  and  Isabella  of  Portugal,  in  their  ala- 
baster tomb.  But  gradually  these  visions  faded, 
growing  less  and  less  distinct,  until  entire  forgetful- 
ness  settled  over  our  roving  thoughts. 

The  first  impression  of  Burgos  upon  the  stranger 
is  that  of  quaintness.  It  is  a  damp,  cold,  dead-and- 
alive  place,  with  but  three  monuments  really  worthy 
of  note ;  namely,  the  unrivaled  cathedral,  its  Cartu- 
jan  monastery,  and  its  convent  of  Huelgas ;  and  yet 
there  is  a  tinge  of  the  Gotho-Castilian  period  about 
its  musty  old  streets  and  archways  scarcely  equaled 
elsewhere  in  Spain,  and  which  one  would  not  like  to 
have  missed.  The  most  amusing  experience  possible, 
on  arriving  in  such  a  place,  is  to  start  off  in  the  early 
morning  without  any  fixed  purpose  as  to  destination, 
and  wander  through  unknown  streets,  lanes,  and  arch- 
ways, coming  out  upon  a  broad  square  —  the  Plaza 
Mayor,  for  instance  —  containing  a  poor  bronze  statue 
of  Charles  III. ;  thence  to  another  with  a  tall  stone 
fountain  in  the  centre,  where  a  motley  group  of 
women  and  young  girls  are  filling  their  jars  with 
water ;  and  again  through  a  dull  dark  lane,  coming 
upon  the  lofty  gate  of  Santa  Maria,  erected  by  Charles 
v.,  and  ornamented  with  statues  of  the  Cid,  Fer- 
nando Gonzales,  and  the  Emperor  ;  thence  on  once 
more  to  some  other  square,  which  proves  to  be  full  of 
busy  groups  of  men,  women,  and  donkeys,  gathered 
about  piles  of  produce.  Ah !  this  is  the  vegetable 
market,  always  a  favorite  morning  resort  in  every 
new  locality.  How  animated  are  the  eager  sellers 
and  buyers,  expending  marvelous  force  over  transac- 
tions involving  half  a  dozen  onions  or  a  few  knock- 
kneed  turnips.     What  a  study  do  iheir  bright  ex- 


368  DUE    WEST, 

pressive  faces  afford,  how  gay  the  varied  colors  of  dress 
and  vegetation,  how  ringing  the  Babel  of  tongues,  the 
braying  of  donkeys,  the  cackle  of  ducks  and  hens  in 
their  coops.  All  ways  are  new,  and  many  local  pe- 
culiarities strike  the  eye,  until  presently,  by  some  in- 
stinct, one  comes  out  again  at  the  starting-point. 

Our  stopping  place  at  Burgos  was  the  Fonda  de 
Rafaela,  a  hotel  with  a  good  name,  but  with  regard 
to  the  food  supplied  to  the  guests  the  less  said  the 
better.  There  was  one  peculiarity  of  this  Spanish  inn 
which  was  too  constantly  present  not  to  impress  us, 
namely,  the  extraordinary  character  and  variety  of 
"  smells,"  which  were  quite  overpowering.  The  prin- 
cipal stench  arose  from  bad  drainage,  besides  which 
there  was  a  universal  mustiness.  But  one  should  not 
be  too  fastidious.  Comfort  is  best  promoted  by 
avoiding  a  spirit  of  captiousness  in  traveling,  not  only 
in  Spain,  but  upon  life's  entire  journey.  Opposite 
the  Fonda  de  Rafaela  was  a  long  line  of  infantry 
barracks,  and,  consequently,  we  had  plenty  of  the  sort 
of  music  —  fife  and  drum  —  which  naturally  accom- 
panies military  drill  and  company  movements.  There 
seems  to  be,  not  only  here  but  all  through  the  south- 
ern cities,  an  effort  made  to  keep  up  the  discipline 
and  standard  of  the  army,  as  well  as  its  numbers ;  but 
it  was  observable  that  most  of  the  private  soldiers, 
especially  in  Madrid,  were  merely  boys  of  sixteen  or 
seventeen  years  of  age.  Burgos,  like  Cordova,  is 
overrun  with  priests  and  beggars,  who  go  as  natur- 
ally together  as  cause  and  effect. 

The  cathedral,  which  the  Emperor  Charles  V.  said 
ought  to  be  placed  under  a  glass,  would  alone  be  suffi- 
cient to  render  the  town  famous,  in  spite  of  its  dull- 
ness and  desolation,  being  one  of  the  largest,  finest, 


THE  CATHEDRAL  OF  BURGOS.  369 

and  most  richly  endowed  of  all  the  Spanish  churches. 
Neither  that  of  Toledo  or  Granada  will  compare  with 
it  in  splendor  or  elaborate  finish ;  and  when  we  re- 
member how  much  Spain  surpasses  Italy,  as  re- 
gards her  cathedrals,  the  force  of  this  remark  will  be 
realized.  The  lofty  structure,  like  that  at  Antwerp, 
is  packed  behind  a  cluster  of  inferior  buildings,  so  as 
to  seriously  detract  from  its  external  effect ;  though 
on  the  opposite  side  of  the  river  Arlanzon  a  favor- 
able view  is  obtained  of  its  graceful,  open-worked 
spires,  so  light  and  symmetrical,  "  spires  whose  silent 
fingers  point  to  heaven,"  and  its  lofty,  corrugated 
roof.  The  columns  and  high  arches  of  the  interior 
are  a  maze  of  architectural  beauty,  in  pure  Gothic. 
In  all  these  Spanish  cathedrals  the  choir  completely 
blocks  up  the  centre  of  the  interior,  so  that  no  com- 
prehensive general  view  can  be  had ;  an  incongruous 
architectural  arrangement  which  is  found  nowhere 
else,  and  which  as  nearly  ruins  the  effect  of  the  To- 
ledo, Cordova,  and  Granada  cathedrals  as  it  is  possi- 
ble to  do.  Above  the  space  between  the  altar  and 
the  choir  rises  a  cupola,  which,  in  elaborate  ornamen- 
tation of  bas-reliefs,  statues,  small  columns,  arches, 
and  sculpture,  exceeds  anything  of  the  sort  we  can 
recall  elsewhere.  The  hundred  and  more  carved 
stalls  of  the  choir  are  in  choice  walnut,  and  are  a 
great  curiosity  as  an  example  of  wood-carving,  pre- 
senting human  figures,  vines,  fantastic  animals,  and 
foliage,  exquisitely  delineated.  The  several  chapels 
are  as  large  as  ordinary  churches,  while  in  the  centre 
of  each  lies  buried  a  bishop  or  a  prince.  The  great 
number  of  statues  and  paintings,  scattered  through 
the  interior  of  the  cathedral,  are  almost  as  confusing 
as  the  pinnacled  roof  of  that  at  Milan,  whose  beauty 

24 


870  DUE   WEST. 

disappears  amid  accumulation,  and  one  is  liable  to 
come  away  more  wearied  than  satisfied.  In  tlie  sac- 
risty the  attendant  showed  us  many  curious  relics  of 
great  intrinsic  value,  but  which  were  priceless,  in  his 
estimation,  from  their  presumed  associations.  The 
well-known  carving  of  Christ  on  the  Cross  was  shown 
to  us,  which  devout  believers  are  told  was  carved 
by  Nicodemus  just  after  he  had  buried  the  Saviour. 
The  credulous  sacristan,  unless  his  face  deceived  us, 
believed  that  this  effigy  perspires  every  Friday ;  that 
it  actually  bleeds  at  certain  times ;  and  that  it  has 
performed  miracles.  The  beard  and  hair  are  the 
natural  article,  and  so  are  the  brows  and  eyelashes, 
giving  a  disagreeable  effect  to  the  image. 

The  monastery  of  Miraflores,  a  rich  and  prosperous 
establishment  before  the  suppression  of  religious  com- 
munities in  Spain,  is  now  quite  deserted,  but  of  con- 
siderable interest  as  containing  the  famous  tomb  of 
Juan  II.  and  Isabella  of  Portugal.  The  old  Gothic 
chapel  has,  in  the  singularly  elaborate  and  minutely 
sculptured  sarcophagus  standing  before  the  altar,  a 
grand  example  of  delicate  and  artistic  workman- 
ship in  alabaster.  The  two  representative  figures  are 
raised  about  six  feet  above  the  floor  of  the  chapel,  on 
a  pedestal  of  the  same  substance,  —  pure  white  ala- 
baster,—  the  whole  being  ornamented  with  figures  of 
saints,  angels,  birds,  fruits,  and  graceful  vines.  The 
supports  of  the  corners  of  the  octagon  base  are  six- 
teen lions,  two  at  each  angle,  all  executed  with  in- 
finite perfection  of  detail.  The  remarkable  imitation 
of  embroidered  lace  upon  the  reclining  figures,  with 
the  indented  cushions  and  robes,  are  admirable.  We 
were  glad  to  learn  the  sculptor's  name,  Gil  de  Siloe. 
Sad  and  solemn  was  the  atmosphere  surrounding  the 


CONVENT  OF  LAS  HUELGAS.  871 

old  monastery,  now  in  charge  of  two  or  three  aged 
brothers  of  tlie  Carthusian  order,  who  pointed  out,  as 
we  passed  into  the  open  air,  among  the  rank  w^eeds, 
shaded  by  sombre  cypresses,  the  graves  of  some  four 
hundred  of  their  departed  brothers,  whose  bodies  lay 
there  without  a  stone  or  name  to  mark  their  last  rest- 
ing -  place.  Thus  these  men  had  lived  humble  and 
forgotten,  and  so  they  sleep,  "  after  life's  fitful  fever," 
among  the  weeds. 

From  this  interesting  spot  we  drove  to  the  con- 
vent known  as  Las  Huelgas,  founded  by  the  wife 
of  Alonzo  VIIL,  daughter  of  Henry  II.,  and  sister 
of  Richard  Coeur  de  Lion.  This  large  establishment, 
situated  on  the  other  side  of  the  Arlanzon,  and  nearer 
to  the  city  than  Miraflores,  is  reached  by  a  pleasant 
avenue  of  trees,  and  is  surrounded  by  well-laid  out 
gardens.  Though  it  is  a  nunnery,  and  has  its  body 
of  completely  isolated,  self-immolated  nuns,  still  there 
is  not  the  dead  and  forgotten  aspect  about  it  which 
so  characterized  the  old  monastery  we  had  just  left. 
To  gain  entrance  here,  the  devotee  must  bring  with 
her  a  dowry,  and  also  be  born  of  noble  blood.  It  was 
within  these  walls  that  Eugenie,  after  losing  husband 
and  son,  at  first  contemplated  a  lasting  seclusion  ;  but 
she  was  not  quite  prepared,  it  seems,  to  give  up  the 
allurements  of  the  outside  world.  The  church  at- 
tached to  the  convent  is  of  more  than  ordinary  inter- 
est, and  contains  some  relics  highly  prized  by  the  de- 
vout and  credulous.  The  visitor,  on  being  shown 
about  the  church,  will  be  likely  to  observe  an  image 
of  Christ  in  a  petticoat,  which  is  rather  a  caricature. 
The  sacristan  stopped  us  before  a  small  grated  open- 
ing, exhibiting  the  altar  of  the  nunnery,  where  one 
of  the  devotees,  in  her  nun's  dress,  was  to  be  seen 


372  DUE   WEST. 

kneeling  before  the  shrine,  apparently  engaged  in 
prayer.  Presently  the  kneeling  figure  rose  slowly 
to  her  feet,  walked  across  the  dimly-lighted  chapel, 
and  disappeared.  The  exhibition  was  so  timely,  and 
the  visitors  to  the  church  were  brought  to  the  spot 
in  such  a  business-like  fashion,  to  say  nothing  of  the 
pose  and  manner  of  the  nun,  that  one  could  not  but 
feel  that  the  little  tableau  was  gotten  up  for  the  spe- 
cial effect  it  might  have  upon  strangers. 

In  the  small  railroad  depot  of  Burgos,  while  the 
slow  purgatory  of  being  served  with  tickets  was  en- 
dured, a  traveler  found  fault  in  good  Saxon  English 
as  to  the  stupidity  of  such  delay  about  trifles,  and 
also  complained  of  having  been  robbed  of  some  small 
article  of  luggage.  Another  Englishman,  particularly 
disposed  to  palliate  matters,  said  there  must  be  some 
mistake  about  it ;  he  had  been  here  before,  and  the 
people  of  Burgos  were  proverbially  honest.  By  and 
by  a  great  excitement  was  apparent  on  the  platform, 
when  it  came  to  light  that  the  apologist  and  indorser 
of  the  good  people  here  was  declaring  that  a  leather 
strap  had  been  purloined  from  his  trunk,  between  the 
hotel  and  the  depot,  and  the  contents  of  his  hat-box 
abstracted.  Wliat  was  to  be  done  ?  The  engine  was 
screeching  forth  the  starting  signal  with  unwonted 
vigor,  and  there  was  no  time  to  be  lost.  He  who  had 
spoken  so  favorably  of  the  local  population  a  few  mo- 
ments before,  was  now  red  in  the  face  with  anger 
and  improper  language.  He  had  barely  time  to  get 
into  his  seat  before  the  train  moved  onward,  and 
doubtless  left  his  trust  in  humanity  behind  him  with 
the  stolen  property.  It  was  only  an  instance  of  mis- 
placed confidence ;  and  thus  we  bid  farewell  to  the 
sleepy  but  picturesque  old  city. 


PANORAMIC  SCENERY.  873 

From  Burgos  to  San  Sebastian,  still  northward,  is 
a  hundred  and  fifty  miles  by  rail,  but  Spanish  dis- 
patch requires  ten  hours  for  the  trip.  It  was  a  beau- 
tiful, soft,  sunny  day,  full  of  the  spirit  and  promise 
of  early  spring.  The  fruit  trees  were  in  blossom,  the 
green  fields  strewn  with  wild  flowers  ;  flocks  of  graz- 
ing sheep  were  constantly  in  sight,  and  men  and 
women  busy  with  field  labor,  the  red  petticoats  and 
white  caps  of  the  latter  forming  charming  bits  of  color 
against  the  green  background.  Sparkling  water- 
courses, with  here  and  there  a  fall  giving  power  to 
some  rickety  old  stone  mill,  added  variety  to  the 
shifting  scenery.  On  the  not  far-off  hills  were  veri- 
table castles,  border  fortresses  in  ruins,  whose  gray, 
moss-covered  towers  had  borne  witness  to  the  con- 
flicts of  armor-clad  warriors  in  the  days  of  Castilian 
knighthood  and  glory.  What  enchantment  hangs 
about  these  rude  battlements,  "  rich  with  the  spoils 
of  time  ! "  In  looking  back  upon  the  ancient  days  it 
is  fortunate  that  the  mellowing  influence  of  time  dims 
the  vision,  and  we  see  down  the  long  vista  of  years 
as  through  a  softening  twilight,  else  we  should  behold 
such  harshness  as  would  arouse  more  of  ire  than  of 
admiration.  The  olden  time,  like  the  landscape,  ap- 
pears best  in  the  purple  distance. 

The  general  aspect  of  the  country,  since  we  left 
Malaga  in  the  extreme  south,  had  been  rather  disap- 
pointing, and  the  rural  appearance  on  this  beautiful 
trip  from  Burgos  to  San  Sebastian  was  therefore  ap- 
preciated. It  should  be  called  the  garden  of  Spain, 
the  well- watered  plains  and  valleys  being  spread  with 
carpets  of  exquisite  verdure.  In  the  far  distance  one 
could  detect  snow-clad  mountains,  which,  in  fact,  were 
not  out  of  sight  during  the  entire  trip.     Thousands 


374  DUE   WEST. 

of  acres  were  covered  by  the  vine,  already  well  ad- 
vanced, and  from  the  product  of  which  comes  the 
sherry  wine  of  commerce.  The  vineyards  were  in- 
terspersed with  fields  of  ripening  grain.  Wheat  and 
wine  !  Or,  as  the  Spaniards  say  :  "  The  staff  of  life 
and  life  itself."  It  was  impossible  not  to  feel  a  sense 
of  elation  at  the  delightful  scenery  and  the  genial 
atmosphere  on  this  early  April  day.  Nature  seemed 
to  be  in  her  merriest  mood,  clothing  everything  in 
poetical  attire,  rendering  beautiful  the  little  gray 
hamlets  on  the  hill-sides,  dominated  by  square  bell- 
towers,  about  which  the  red-tiled  cottages  clustered. 
Outside  of  these  were  family  groups  sitting  in  the 
warm  sunshine,  some  sewing,  some  spinning,  while 
children  tumbled  and  played  in  the  inviting  grass. 
We  had  seen  nothing  like  this  for  many  a  day  —  cer- 
tainly not  in  Spain.  Presently  we  came  up  to  the 
lofty  snow-capped  mountains,  which  had  for  a  while 
ranged  just  ahead  of  us,  when  one  of  them  seemed 
suddenly  to  open  a  wide  mouth  at  its  base  as  if  to 
swallow  the  train.  In  it  rushed  pufiing  and  snorting 
through  a  dark  tunnel  nearly  a  mile  long,  until  at  last 
we  emerged  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  mountain  into 
a  scene  of  great  beauty,  overlooking  a  valley  worthy 
of  Japan.  Far  up  towards  the  blue  sky  was  the  snow 
under  which  we  had  been  hidden  in  the  darkness  of 
the  tunnel,  while  in  this  lower  range  we  were  sur- 
rounded with  verdure  and  bloom.  Here  were  grace- 
ful trees,  smiling  bits  of  landscape,  flocks  of  sheep, 
tumbling  cascades,  so  grouped  and  mingled  as  to 
seem  like  a  theatrical  effect  rather  than  nature. 

We  came  into  San  Sebastian  in  the  early  twilight ; 
a  somewhat  famous  watering-place  on  the  boisterous 
Bay  of  Biscay,  drawing  its  patronage  largely  from 


SAN  SEBASTIAN.  375 

Madrid,  though  of  late  both  English  and  Americans 
have  resorted  thither.  It  is  a  small  city,  but  the 
thriftiest  and  most  business-like  to  be  found  in  Spain 
when  its  size  is  considered.  The  place  was  entirely 
destroyed  by  fire  when  captured  from  the  French  by 
the  English,  —  a  piece  of  sanguinary  work  which  cost 
the  latter  five  thousand  men.  It  was  on  this  occa- 
sion that  Wellington  is  reported  to  have  said:  *'  The 
next  dreadful  thing  to  a  battle  lost  is  a  battle  won." 
The  dwellings  are  modern  and  handsome,  the  streets 
broad  and  well  paved,  the  squares  ornamented  by 
shrubbery  and  fountains,  and  the  drives  in  the  en- 
virons and  on  the  beach  are  very  inviting.  In  short 
San  Sebastian  is  a  model  watering-place  for  summer 
resort  with  several  good  hotels.  It  will  be  remem- 
bered that  Wellington  fought  some  severe  battles  in 
this  vicinity  in  1813.  On  the  way  from  Burgos  the 
battle-field  of  Vittoria  was  pointed  out,  where  the 
French  army  was  thoroughly  routed.  The  Spanish 
government  has  made  a  miniature  Gibraltar  of  San 
Sebastian.  Overlooking  the  harbor  is  a  lofty  for- 
tification which  commands  the  town  and  all  of  its  ap- 
proaches. From  the  fort,  which  costs  a  good  climb 
to  reach,  a  very  fine  view  is  obtained  of  a  broad  ex- 
tent of  country.  Whole  blocks  of  new  buildings 
were  in  course  of  construction,  and  San  Sebastian 
seemed  to  be  preparing  for  a  large  summer  business. 
Seen  from  a  short  distance,  as  one  approaches  in  the 
cars,  the  grouping  of  the  town,  with  the  lofty  and 
frowning  fortification,  its  neat  white  dwellings  and 
undulating  surface,  makes  a  pleasing  picture,  stand- 
ing out  in  bold  relief  against  the  blue  sky  hanging 
over  the  Bay  of  Biscay. 

Our  next  stopping-place  after  leaving  San  Sebas- 


376  DUE    WEST. 

tian  was  Bayonne,  —  that  is  "  The  Good  Port,"  — 
about  forty  miles  further  towards  the  French  fron- 
tier. It  is  a  city  of  some  thirty  thousand  inhabit- 
ants, located  at  the  junction  of  the  Adour  and  Nive 
rivers,  in  the  Lower  Pyrenees.  Here,  again,  the  cathe- 
dral forms  nearly  the  only  attraction  to  strangers ; 
though  very  plain,  and  with  little  architectural  pre- 
tension, still  it  is  gray,  old,  and  crumbling,  plainly 
telling  the  story  of  its  age.  The  city  has  consider- 
able commerce  by  the  river,  both  in  steam  and  sail- 
ing vessels,  and  exports  a  very  respectable  amount 
of  domestic  products.  Most  continental  cities  have 
their  Jews'  quarter,  —  the  Ghetto,  as  it  is  called ; 
but  in  Bayonne  the  race  is  especially  represented  by 
the  descendants  of  those  who  escaped  death  at  the 
hands  of  the  Inquisition,  in  the  time  of  Philip  II. 
They  form  fully  one  third  of  the  population,  judging 
from  appearances ;  and  though  not  characterized  by 
neatness  or  cleanliness,  their  quarter  is  the  home  of 
numerous  rich  men.  They  have  retained  their  old 
Spanish  and  Portuguese  names  and  fortunes.  Many 
of  the  Jewish  capitalists  of  London,  Paris,  and  Havre, 
are  from  Bayonne.  There  is  a  decided  difference  in 
the  manners  and  the  dress  of  the  people  from  those  of 
Spain  generally,  being  more  like  those  of  the  Basque 
Provinces,  to  which  it  belongs  geographically. 

Here  one  sees  the  palace  where  Catherine  de  Med- 
ici and  the  Duke  of  Alba  planned  the  terrible  mas- 
sacre of  the  Huguenots.  In  and  about  the  city  some 
very  pleasant  drives  may  be  enjoyed.  A  large,  well- 
shaded  public  garden  commences  just  at  the  city 
gates  and  extends  along  the  left  bank  of  the  Adour. 
It  will  occur  to  the  reader  that  the  familiar  military 
weapon,  the  bayonet,  got  its  name  from  Bayonne, 


BA  YONNE.  '  377 

having  been  invented,  or  rather  discovered,  here.  It 
seems  that  a  Basque  regiment,  during  an  engage- 
ment with  the  Spaniards  near  this  spot,  had  entirely 
exhausted  their  ammunition ;  but  fixing  their  long 
knives  in  the  muzzles  of  their  guns,  they  thus  suc- 
cessfully charged  on  and  defeated  the  enemy.'  The 
legend  is  mentioned,  as  every  one  must  listen  to  it 
from  the  local  guides,  though  —  between  ourselves  — 
it  is  a  most  gross  anachronism. 

We  have  not  yet  come  to  a  conclusion  as  to  what 
language  our  landlord  spoke.  He  certainly  under- 
stood French,  though  he  did  not  attempt  to  express 
himself  in  it.  It  was  not  Spanish,  that  we  know; 
therefore  it  must  have  been  Basque,  the  language 
which  Noah  received  from  Adam,  if  we  are  to  believe 
the  residents  of  Bayonne.  An  out-door  fair  was  vis- 
ited, upon  an  open  square  lying  between  the  hotel 
and  the  harbor,  where  the  gay  colors,  shooting-booths, 
hurdy-gurdies,  drums,  fifes,  flags,  and  games,  together 
with  a  wax  exhibition,  representing  a  terrible  mur- 
der and  an  assassin  committing  the  deed  with  a 
poker  painted  red  hot,  all  served  to  remind  us  of  a 
similar  occasion  at  Tokio,  in  far-off  Japan.  Striking 
scenic  effects  came  in  here  and  there,  the  distant 
summits  of  the  Pyrenees  being  visible  beyond  the 
mountains  of  Navarre. 

A  drive  of  five  miles  from  Bayonne  took  us  to  Biar- 
ritz, situated  a  little  southwest  of  the  old  city,  at  the 
lower  part  of  the  Bay  of  Biscay,  being  the  Newport 
of  southern  France.  Our  postilion  was  gotten  up 
after  the  Basque  fashion  of  his  tribe,  in  a  most  fan- 
tastic short  jacket  of  scarlet,  with  little  abbreviated 
tails,  silver  laced  all  over,  and  with  a  marvelous  com- 
plement of  hanging  buttons.     He  wore  a  stove-pipe 


378  DUE   WEST, 

hat  with  a  flashing  cockade,  and  flourished  a  long 
whip  that  would  have  answered  for  a  Kaffir  cattle- 
driver.  The  horses  — large  fine  specimens  of  the  Nor- 
man breed  —  were  harnessed  three  abreast,  and  dec- 
orated with  many  bells,  while  their  headstalls  were 
heavy  with  scarlet  woolen  tassels,  and  ornamented 
with  large  silver-plated  buckles.  The  vehicle  was  a 
roomy,  old-fashioned  barouche,  comfortable,  but  about 
as  ancient  as  the  cathedral.  Altogether  we  looked  with 
such  unfeigned  amazement  at  the  landlord,  when  this 
queer  outfit  drove  to  the  door,  that  he,  native  and  to 
the  manner  born,  could  not  suppress  a  broad  smile. 
It  answered  our  purpose,  however,  and  as  the  popu- 
lace was  evidently  accustomed  to  such  florid  display, 
we  did  not  anticipate  being  mobbed ;  but  during  the 
entire  trip  that  harlequin  of  a  driver,  who  was  as 
sober  as  a  mute  at  a  funeral,  shared  our  admiration 
with  the  pleasing  and  varied  scenery.  He  was  a 
thorough  native.  It  would  have  been  of  no  use  to 
attempt  to  talk  with  him,  for  the  foreigner  who  can 
speak  the  Basque  tongue  has  yet  to  be  discovered. 

Biarritz,  which  is  in  the  department  of  the  Basses- 
Pyrenees,  yet  a  long  way  from  the  mountain  range, 
was  unknown  to  fame  until  Eugenie,  empress  of  the 
French,  built  a  grand  villa  here,  and  made  it  her 
summer  resort ;  being,  however,  over  five  hundred 
miles  from  the  French  capital,  it  never  became  very 
popular  with  the  Parisians.  The  emperor  and  em- 
press resorted  thither  annually,  and,  laying  aside  the 
dignity  of  state,  were  seen  daily  indulging  in  sea- 
bathing. The  building  of  the  Villa  Eugenie  made 
the  fortune  of  Biarritz.  The  climate  is  particularly 
dry  and  warm,  proving,  if  we  may  believe  common 
report,  excellent  for  invalids.     The  hot  days  of  sum« 


BIARRITZ,  -  379 

mer  are  tempered  by  a  sea-breeze,  which  blows  with 
great  regularity  inland  during  the  day.  The  town  is 
elevated,  being  seated  upon  a  bluff  of  the  coast,  and 
has  two  small  bays  strewn  with  curiously  honey- 
combed rocks,  worn  into  the  oddest  of  shapes  by  the 
fierce  beating  of  the  surf  for  ages.  Art  has  aided  na- 
ture in  the  grotesque  arrangement  of  these  rocks,  so 
as  to  form  arches  and  caves  of  all  conceivable  shapes. 
It  must  present  a  splendid  sight  here  in  a  stormy 
day,  when  the  surf  breaks  over  the  huge  rocks  and 
rushes  wildly  through  these  cavernous  passages.  Such 
a  battle  between  the  sea  and  the  shore  would  be 
grand  to  witness.  The  beach  shelves  gently,  and  is 
firm  and  smooth,  so  that  it  is  particularly  well  adapted 
for  bathing. 

Biarritz  being  in  nearly  the  same  latitude  as  Nice 
and  Mentone,  one  looks  for  similar  foliage  and  vege- 
tation, but  there  are  no  palms,  aloes,  oranges,  or  trees 
of  that  class  here.  The  place  lacks  the  shelter  of 
the  Maritime  Alps,  which  the  two  resorts  just  men- 
tioned enjoy ;  but  bright,  sunny  Biarritz  will  long 
live  in  the  memory  of  the  little  party  whom  the 
Basque  postilion  drove  thither  and  back.  The  late 
imperial  residence,  the  Villa  Eugenie,  is  now  im- 
proved as  a  fashionable  summer  hotel.  The  drive 
from  Bayonne  to  Biarritz  can  be  made  by  one  road, 
and  the  return  accomplished  by  another.  On  the 
way  back  we  passed  through  two  or  three  miles  of 
thick,  sweet-scented  pine  forest,  still  and  shady  under 
the  afternoon  sun,  except  for  the  drowsy  hum  of  in- 
sects, and  the  pleasant  carol  of  birds.  Here  and 
there  were  open  glades  where  the  sun  lay  upon  little 
beds  of  blue  flowers  of  unknown  name,  but  very  like 
the  gentian ;  and  there  were  also  the  wild  daphne 


380  DUE   WEST, 

and  scarlet  anemones.  The  lofty  trees  located  on 
both  sides  of  the  road  had  been  tapped  for  their  sap, 
and  little  wooden  spouts  were  conducting  the  gluti- 
nous deposit  into  small  earthen  jars  hung  on  the  per- 
pendicular trunks,  —  reminding  one  of  the  mode  of 
"  milking  "  the  toddy  palms  in  India  and  Ceylon,  by 
which  ingenious  means  the  natives  obtain  a  liquor 
which,  when  fermented,  is  as  strong  as  the  best 
Scotch  or  Irish  whiskey. 

Our  journey  through  Spain  proved  to  be  one  of 
great  and  lasting  interest,  although  it  was  mingled 
with  a  sense  of  disappointment,  not  as  to  its  historic 
interest,  nor  its  unrivaled  monuments  "  mellowed  by 
the  stealing  hours  of  time  ; "  but  we  missed  the  bright 
sunny  fields  of  France,  we  found  none  of  the  soft 
loveliness  of  the  Italian  climate  or  vegetation,  and 
were  ever  contrasting  its  treeless  surface  with  well- 
wooded  Belgium  and  Switzerland.  When  gazing 
upon  its  stunted  shrubbery  and  dry  yellow  grass,  it 
was  natural  to  recall  the  lovely  valleys  and  plains  of 
Japan,  and  even  the  closely-cultivated  fields  of  China, 
where  every  square  foot  of  soil  contiguous  to  popu- 
lous districts  is  made  to  produce  its  quota  towards  the 
support  of  man.  The  pleasant  oases  to  be  found 
here  and  there,  the  exceptional  bits  of  verdant  fields 
and  fertile  districts  which  we  have  described,  only 
prove  what  the  country  in  the  possession  of  an  enter- 
prising race  might  be  made  to  produce.  Now  it  is 
little  more  than  a  land  of  sun  and  blue  skies.  The 
Spanish  people  seem  to  be  imbued  with  all  the  list- 
Jessness  of  those  of  the  tropics,  though  not  by  the 
same  enervating  influence.  Nature  is  willing  to  meet 
men  more  than  half  way,  even  in  Spain,  but  will  not 
pour  out  there  her  products  with  the  lavishness  which 


BORDEAUX.  381 

characterizes  her  in  the  low  latitudes.  The  country 
is  not  composed  of  desolate  sierras  by  any  means,  but 
its  neglected  possibilities  are  yet  in  such  strong  con- 
trast to  the  most  of  continental  Europe  as  to  lead 
the  tourist  to  very  decided  conclusions.  The  beau- 
tifully shaded  avenue  at  Burgos  along  the  Arlanzon, 
and  the  road  to  Miraflores  forming  a  charming  Ala^ 
meda,  show  very  plainly  what  can  be  done  by  plant- 
ing a  few  hundred  suitable  trees  to  beautify  the  en- 
virons of  a  half -ruined,  mouldering,  mediaeval  city. 
It  is  to  be  hoped  that  those  who  planted  these  luxu- 
riant trees  may  have  lived  to  enjoy  their  grace  and 
beauty.  Under  Ferdinand  and  Isabella,  Spain  was 
a  great  and  thriving  nation,  almost  beyond  precedent. 
Her  colonial  possessions  rivaled  those  of  the  entire 
world;  but  her  glory  has  vanished,  and  her  deca- 
dence has  been  so  rapid  as  to  be  phenomenal,  until 
she  is  now  so  humbled  there  are  very  few  to  do  her 

lionor.  Bancroft  Librai 

The  distance  from  Bayonne  to  Bordeaux  is  one 
hundred  and  twenty-five  miles,  a  dull  and  uninterest- 
ing journey,  the  route  lying  through  what  seemed  an 
interminable  pine  forest,  so  that  it  was  a  decided  re- 
lief when  the  spires  of  this  French  capital  came  into 
view.  Bordeaux  was  found  to  be  a  much  larger  and 
finer  city  than  we  had  realized.  The  topographical 
formation  is  that  of  a  crescent  along  the  shore  of  the 
Garonne,  which  here  forms  a  broad  and  navigable 
harbor,  though  it  is  located  some  sixty  miles  from  the 
sea.  There  were  many  Roman  antiquities  and  an- 
cient monuments  to  be  seen,  all  interesting,  venera- 
ble with  the  wear  and  tear  of  eighteen  centuries. 
The  public  buildings,  commanding  in  their  architec- 
tural character,  were  found  to  be  adorned  with  ad^ 


382  DUE   WEST. 

mirable  sculpture  and  some  fine  paintings.  The 
ancient  part  of  the  town  has  narrow  and  crooked 
streets,  but  the  modern  portion  is  open,  air}^,  and 
has  good  architectural  display.  The  Grand  Theatre 
is  remarkably  effective  with  its  noble  Ionic  columns, 
built  a  little  more  than  a  century  since  by  Louis  XVI. 
Bordeaux  is  connected  by  canal  with  the  Mediterra- 
nean and  has  considerable  commerce,  especially  in 
the  importation  of  American  whiskey,  which  is  sent 
bacTc  to  the  United  States  and  exported  elsewhere  as 
good  Bordeaux  brandy,  after  being  carefully  doctored. 
The  Sabbath  was  passed  here,  but  its  observance  or 
non-observance  is  like  that  common  in  Continental 
cities.  It  is  a  mere  day  of  recreation,  the  Roman 
Catholic  element  attending  mass,  and  devoting  the 
balance  of  the  day  to  amusement.  There  were  per- 
formances at  all  of  the  theatres,  the  stores  and  shops 
were  generally  open,  and  very  large  fine  shops  they 
are.  In  the  afternoon  two  balloons  were  sent  up 
from  the  Champ  de  Mars:  one  a  mammoth  in  size, 
containing  half  a  dozen  persons;  the  other  smaller, 
containing  but  one  person  to  manage  it — a  lady. 
There  were  at  least  fifty  thousand  people  in. the  great 
square  to  witness  the  ascension,  —  a  very  orderly  and 
well-dressed  throng.  A  military  band  played  during 
the  inflating  process,  and  the  promenaders  and  loung- 
ers presented  a  gay  concourse. 

There  was  an  unmistakable  aspect  of  business 
prosperity  about  the  streets  of  the  city.  Everybody 
seemed  active  and  engaged  in  some  purpose.  There 
were  few  loungers,  and,  we  must  make  a  note  of  it, 
no  beggars.  It  was  observable  that  the  large  Nor- 
man horses  used  in  the  working  teams  were  sleek  and 
fat,  splendid  creatures ;  such  as  Rosa  Bonheur  repre- 


FROM  BORDEAUX  TO  PARIS.  383 

sents  in  her  famous  picture  of  the  Horse  Fair.  What 
a  contrast  these  noble,  well-kept  animals  presented  to 
the  poor,  half-starved  creatures  to  be  met  with  in  the 
East,  and,  indeed,  in  only  too  many  of  the  European 
cities, —  Rome,  Florence,  Antwerp,  and  Madrid.  We 
are  now  approaching  such  familiar  ground  that  the 
reader  will  hardly  expect  more  of  us  than  to  specify 
the  closing  route  of  our  long  journey. 

From  Bordeaux  to  Paris  is  about  four  hundred 
miles.  As  we  left  the  former  city  the  road  passed 
through  miles  upon  miles  of  thriving  vineyards,  those 
nearest  to  the  city  producing  the  brands  of  claret  best 
known  in  the  American  market.  The  route  generally 
all  the  way  to  Paris  was  through  a  charming  and 
highly  cultivated  country,  vastly  different  from  north- 
ern and  central  Spain.  The  well  -  prepared  fields 
were  green  with  the  spring  grains  and  varied  crops, 
showing  high  cultivation.  Sheep  in  large  flocks, 
tended  by  shepherdesses  with  tall  white  Norman  caps, 
and  picturesque,  high-colored  dresses,  enlivened  the 
landscape.  These  industrious  women  were  knitting 
or  spinning  in  the  field.  Others  were  driving  oxen, 
while  men  held  the  plow.  Gangs  of  men  and  women 
together  were  working  in  long  rows,  preparing  the 
ground  for  seed  or  planting ;  and  all  seemed  cheerful, 
decent,  and  happy.  The  small  railroad  stations  re- 
called those  of  India  between  Tuticorin  and  Madras, 
where  the  surroundings  were  beautified  by  fragrant 
flower-gardens, — their  bland,  odorous  breath  acting 
like  a  charm  upon  the  senses,  amid  the  noise  and 
bustle  of  arrival  and  departure.  Now  and  again,  as 
we  progressed,  the  pointed  architecture  of  some  pic- 
turesque ch^iteau  would  present  itself  among  the  clus- 
tering trees  with  its  bright,  verdant  lawns  and  neat 


384  DUE   WEST. 

outlying  dependencies ;  and  so  we  sped  on,  until,  in 
the  early  evening,  we  glided  into  the  station  at  Paris. 
There  was  a  clear  sky,  a  young  moon,  and  a  full 
display  of  the  starry  hosts,  on  the  night  of  our  arrival 
in  this  the  gayest  capital  of  the  world.  Four  hun- 
dred miles  of  unbroken  travel  that  day,  so  far  from 
satiating,  only  served  to  whet  the  appetite  for  obser- 
vation. Ten  years  had  passed  since  the  writer  had 
trod  those  familiar  boulevards ;  and  now  hastening  to 
the  Place  de  la  Madeleine  we  renewed  acquaintance 
with  the  noble  church  which  ornaments  the  square, 
the  purest  and  grandest  specimen  of  architecture,  of 
its  class,  extant.  Thence  passing  a  few  steps  onward, 
the  brilliantly -lighted  Place  de  la  Concorde  was 
reached,  that  spot  so  emblazoned  in  blood  upon  the 
pages  of  history.  How  the  music  of  the  fountains 
mingled  with  the  hum  of  the  noisy  throng  that  filled 
the  streets  !  What  associations  crowded  upon  the 
mind  as  we  stood  there  at  the  base  of  the  grand  old 
obelisk  of  Luxor,  looming  up  from  the  centre  of  the 
grounds.  In  front  was  the  long,  broad,  flashing  road- 
way of  the  Champs  Elys^es,  one  blaze  of  light  and 
busy  life;  for  Paris  does  not  awake  until  after  dark. 
Far  away  the  Arc  de  Triomphe  is  just  discerned 
where  commences  the  Bois  de  Boulogne.  On  the 
left,  across  the  Seine,  is  outlined  against  the  sky  the 
twin  towers  of  St.  Clotilde,  with  the  glittering  dome 
of  the  Invalides  ;  and  to  the  eastward  are  seen  the 
dual  towers  of  Notre  Dame.  The  brain  is  stimu- 
lated as  by  wine,  till  one  grows  dizzy.  Proceeding 
through  the  Rue  Rivoli  we  turn  towards  our  hotel 
by  the  Place  Vendome,  looking  once  more  upon  that 
vast  and  beautiful  monument,  the  finest  modern  col- 
umn in  existence,  and  then  to  bed  —  not  to  sleep,  but 


ANTWERP.  885 

to  revel  in  the  intoxication  of  that  bitter-sweet  — 
memory  ! 

After  a  few  weeks  passed  in  Paris,  the  journey 
homeward  was  renewed  by  way  of  Antwerp,  a  city 
"which  owes  its  attraction  almost  solely  to  the  fact 
that '  here  are  to  be  seen  so  many  masterpieces  of 
painting.  The  great  influence  of  Rubens  can  hardly 
be  appreciated  without  a  visit  to  the  Flemish  capital, 
where  he  lived  and  died,  and  where  his  ashes  rest  in 
the  Church  of  St.  Jacques.  This  is  considered  the 
finest  church  in  Antwerp,  remarkable  for  the  number 
and  richness  of  its  private  chapels.  Here  are  the 
burial-places  of  the  noble  and  wealthy  families  of 
the  past,  and  among  them  that  of  the  Rubens  family, 
which  is  situated  just  back  of  the  high  altar.  Above 
the  tomb  is  a  large  painting  by  this  famous  master, 
intended  to  represent  a  Holy  Family,  and  the  picture 
is  in  a  degree  typical  of  the  idea.  But  its  object  is 
also  well  understood  as  being  to  perpetuate  a  series 
of  likenesses  of  the  Rubens  family ;  namely,  of  him- 
self, his  two  wives,  his  daughter,  his  father,  and 
grandfather.  The  painting  is  incongruous,  and  in 
bad  taste,  being  quite  open  also  to  criticism  in  its 
drawing  and  grouping.  The  whole  production  ap- 
pears like  a  forced  and  uncongenial  effort.  Vandyke 
and  Teniers  were  also  natives  of  this  city,  where 
their  best  works  still  remain,  and  where  the  State 
has  erected  fitting  monuments  to  their  memory.  Jor- 
deans,  the  younger  Teniers,  and  Denis  Calvart,  the 
master  of  Guido  Reni,  were  natives  here. 

The  famous  cathedral,  more  picturesque  and  re- 
markable for  its  exterior  than  interior,  is  of  the 
pointed  style,  and  of  about  a  century  in  age.  Did 
it  not  contain  Rubens'  world-renowned  pictures,  the 

26 

1 


386  DUE  WEST, 

Descent  from  the  Cross,  the  Elevation  of  the  Cross, 
and  the  Assumption,  few  people  would  care  to  visit 
it.  A  gorgeous  church  ceremony  was  in  progress 
when  we  first  entered  the  church :  some  one  of  the 
three  hundred  and  sixty-five  saints  receiving  an  an- 
nual recognition  on  the  occasion  of  his  birthday.  A 
score  of  priests  were  marching  about  the  body  of  the 
church  at  the  head  of  a  long  procession  of  boys,  with 
silk  banners  and  burning  candles,  chanting  all  the 
while  to  an  organ  accompaniment.  On  the  borders 
of  this  procession  the  people  knelt  and  seemed  duly 
impressed. 

The  patter  of  wooden  shoes  upon  the  streets  is  al- 
most deafening  to  strangers,  men,  women,  and  chil- 
dren adding  to  the  din.  Probably  it  is  found  to  be 
cheaper  to  take  a  block  of  wood  and  hew  out  a  pair 
of  shoes  from  it,  fit  to  wear,  than  to  adopt  a  more  civ- 
ilized mode  of  shoeing  the  people ;  but  these  heavy 
clogs  give  to  the  inhabitants  an  awkward  gait.  In 
all  of  the  older  portions  of  the  town,  the  houses  have 
a  queer  way  of  standing  with  their  gable  ends  to  the 
street,  just  as  they  are  addicted  to  doing  at  Amster- 
dam and  Hamburg,  showing  it  to  be  a  Dutch  pro- 
clivity. Dogs  are  universally  used  here  for  light 
vehicles  in  place  of  donkeys,  —  one  or  more  being 
attached  to  each  vehicle  adapted  to  the  transporta- 
tion of  milk  or  bread  and  other  light  articles.  These 
are  attended  by  boys  or  women.  Beggars  there  are 
none,  to  the  credit  of  the  city  be  it  said ;  nor  is  one 
importuned  by  hackmen  or  other  public  servants ; 
all  are  ready  to  serve  you,  but  none  to  annoy  you. 
Antwerp  has  some  fine  broad  squares,  avenues,  public 
gardens,  and  noble  trees. 

Belgium  is  a  nation  of  blondes,  in  strong  contrast 


HOME  AT  LAST.  387 

with  its  near  neighbor,  France,  where  the  brunettes 
reign  supreme.  It  is  singular  that  there  should  be 
such  a  marked  difference  in  communities,  differences 
as  definite  as  geographical  boundaries,  and  seemingly 
governed  by  rules  quite  as  arbitrary.  Why  should  a 
people's  hair,  eyes,  and  complexion  be  dark  or  light, 
simply  because  an  imaginary  line  divides  them  terri- 
torially ?  No  one  for  a  moment  mistakes  a  German 
for  a  Frenchman,  an  Antwerp  lady  for  a  Parisian. 
The  very  animals  seem  to  partake  of  these  local  char- 
acteristics, while  the  manners  and  customs  are  equally 
individualized.  The  French  women  of  all  classes  put 
on  their  attire  with  a  dainty  grace  that  contrasts 
strongly  with  the  careless,  though  cleanly  costume  of 
their  sisters  over  the  border.  Esthetic  taste,  indeed, 
would  seem  almost  out  of  place  displayed  upon  the 
square,  solidly-built  women  of  Flanders.  Is  it  imag- 
ination, or  can  one  really  trace  somewhat  of  the  same 
idea  in  Flora's  kingdom?-  The  Dutch  roses,  tulips, 
and  other  flowers,  like  the  naval  architecture  of  the 
Low  Countries,  have  a  certain  breadth  of  beam  and 
bluntness  of  prow  that  makes  them  differ  from  the 
same  fragrant  family  of  France.  Has  any  learned 
essayist  ever  attempted  to  draw  philosophical  deduc- 
tions from  these  aspects  of  the  vegetable  world,  as 
showing  local  kinship  to  humanity? 

Embarking  from  Antwerp,  July  14th,  on  board 
the  Steamship  Waesland,  of  the  Red  Star  Line,  New 
York  was  reached  after  a  voyage  of  twelve  days, 
July  24th,  and  Boston  by  the  Shore  Line  the  same 
evening,  coming  in  at  the  opposite  side  of  the  city 
whence  we  started  a  little  more  than  ten  months  pre- 
vious ;  having  thus,  in  a  journey  of  about  forty  thou- 
sand  miles,  completed  a  circuit  of  the  globe. 


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